Andrew Bramhill - Life-Changing Sayings of the Lord Jesus - Class 4 - Flawed Performance

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:05

   So Joe and the committee thought they were getting a fifth study this evening. It’s actually a 40 minute commercial followed by 5 minutes of study. I, I, I did check with the committee that I could do this. I’m just going to show you one or two book recommendations because I’m a travelling book salesman and here are my top tips available from the Christadelphian office.

2. 0:30

   All all tied in with the studies that we’ve been doing this week. All available on the stall outside. So Harry Tennant, Moses, my servant, wonderful character study of of the the man Moses. Top recommendation to go in in conjunction with Brother Mark’s studies. Have those on the stall. You may have come across this book, Women of the Bible that sold very well this afternoon.

3. 1:00

   I think we have one copy left, but you will find in there chapters for each of the women that Brother Luke has looked at this week. If you’re not able to hurry to the stall and get the last copy of Women of the Bible, you might be interested in Brother Dennis Gillett’s book, which is called Of Hearts and Minds, but is actually a collection of character studies. And at least three of the women that Brother Luke has looked at are covered in Brother Dennis’s book, So I I recommend that to you.

4. 1:36

   Sister Sharon Prince has done a very recent book. You may have seen this. It’s ostensibly aimed at sisters. I think it’s worth the read for brothers and sisters. This is how we undertake spiritual transformation. You may find that of use. And here’s a nice collection of excitations which brother Rod Hale has put together. All of them are about the Lord Jesus Christ. This do in remembrance of me, which is where we started our studies last week.

5. 2:12

   So I’d recommend those titles to you. I’ve got a couple of others that I just mentioned. In case you haven’t come across these books, you may be interested in having a look at these So brother Greg Palmer and Phil Shaw from Adelaide, Australia. They produced this for us. Hard questions, real answers. Just open up the book and cast your eye down the contents page and have a look at the the range of questions that they ask and provide answers to. There is no difficult question that you might come across that isn’t in their book.

6. 2:54

   Have a look. And the answers are great. So I recommend hard questions, real answers if you haven’t seen that. And my final recommendation, and I know there are only two of these left on the book stall signs of the Times study guide. OK, so that’s not a not a study guide, which is going to tell you exactly what you need to know about prophecies and how they will work out, but it’s a book which shares with you our general understanding of prophecies and gives you some guidance on how to interpret prophecies and understand prophecies.

7. 3:29

   So the Science of the time study guide is well worth a look. So those are my top tips and I I’ve got them all on the book stall outside and we’ll be open a little bit later. So if you want to have any of those books, please come and see us and we will be very happy to take money off you.

8. 3:48

   So that that’s mine. Yeah. That’s my little advert. Now, where were we? Is it just behind? Oh, it is, is it? Oh, yes. Oh. Oh, it looks like I will have to proceed. Right. OK. We’re, we’re talking then about flawed performance. That’s, that’s going to be our last little subject together as we consider our life changing sayings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

9. 4:35

   And thank you all for your, your patience. You’ve, you’ve listened to me very carefully. You’ve paid attention, you’ve come and asked questions of me and made some really nice comments. And I’m, I’m very grateful for all your contributions. And, and there were a number of things that we were trying to do together this week. I, I was trying to get you to appreciate that our concentration should be on him and not on ourselves. He is the means whereby we can be saved. I’ve tried to emphasise that he is on our side and he wants to help.

10. 5:11

    The Almighty wants us to be in the Kingdom. Failure, of which there is plenty, flawed performance, of which there is a lot, is not condemned, it’s overcome by his sacrifice. But we are all encouraged to move on to better things. We are all encouraged to use what talents, what things we’ve got, even if it’s the smallest of offerings, so that the Almighty can take that and do something with it. We are called upon to be volunteers in His service and, and, and that’s where we need to be. But there is this nagging doubt isn’t that we are all people with flawed performance.

11. 5:56

    Our our discipleship is one of regular disappointment and failure. Standards are high, particularly when you look at the Lord Jesus. And maybe you’ve got to Thursday evening at UKYC and you’ve looked around and you’ve seen a lot of skill, a lot of talent, a lot of spirituality, a lot of really good people. You’ll talk to individuals who’ve done an awful lot, often in the service of their Lord.

12. 6:24

    And each time you have these conversations, you just feel you’re getting smaller and smaller because what can ioffer by comparison? And and it’s tricky, isn’t it? And we have this low opinion of ourselves. So I want to show you that tonight everybody is in the same boat. Two more sayings, our final two sayings that we’ll have this evening, life changing sayings of the Lord Jesus Christ. And just in case we we don’t get to it, let’s get it on the screen at this stage.

13. 6:55

    This is 1. I want you to be mindful of please. He that is least among you all the same shall be great. So that’s where we’re going to start this evening. Would you join me please in Luke Chapter 9, where we’re with the Lord Jesus Christ and his disciples and I, I want to show you that even these great apostles who would go on and do marvelous things in witnessing to the truth. And when you read the, the the account of the Acts of the Apostles, it’s the most wonderful, energetic book. People who are all of a sudden transformed from being weak, nervous, scared disciples at the time of the crucifixion to unbounding, energetic, enthusiastic, unstoppable preachers who will witness to the Lord whatever the consequences.

14. 7:55

    While we meet them here in Luke Chapter 9. And if you look at about verse 28 that we start to have the account of the of the Transfiguration. And the Transfiguration, of course, sees the Lord Jesus Christ go up into a mountain and he takes with him in verse 28, Peter and John and James, these closest disciples, these three who were closest to him. And he went up into a mountain to pray. And as he does so, his his appearance changes. He is transfigured and glorified. That’s the word Peter uses.

15. 8:32

    The disciple saw him in his glory. Moses and Elijah join in, and they’re going to encourage the Lord as he faces the final months of his ministry. And Peter and James and John are absolutely dumbstruck. Really, they don’t know what’s going on. And this is a vision of the Kingdom because it’s the Lord Jesus Christ glorified. This is the time when he will reign as king in all his glory and will concentrate on filling the earth with God’s glory. And Peter and James and John witness this. They they see this wonderful transfiguration and are shaken by it.

16. 9:16

    This is quite a special thing. So it begins with the vision of the Kingdom. And we’ve talked about that this week about keeping the vision burning brightly. And the disciples now six months before Christ is crucified, only six months. I know we’re only in Luke Chapter 9, but there’s only six months to go before Jesus is crucified. And they see this marvellous vision and they share it with the Lord on the mountain top.

17. 9:45

    But when they come down from the mountain, verse 43, halfway through that verse, new paragraph starts while they wondered everyone at all things which Jesus did, he said unto the disciples, Let these sayings sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man should be delivered into the hands of men. And in other places, you know he expounds on that and he talks about what they will actually face at Jerusalem.

18. 10:13

    The Son of Man is going to be delivered up and verse 4345. Sorry tells us that they understood not this saying so the disciples didn’t get it. They just had a vision of the glory and the Lord Jesus Christ as they’ve come down and said, yes, but to get there, I have to go to the cross, that there’s a one difficult step, one large step, which is for me to go to the cross. And you need to understand that disciples, this is a huge thing to get to the Kingdom.

19. 10:42

    I have to be crucified. And it’s going to have a major effect on you. And it’s going to embellish this, this teaching over the coming months. And each time he mentions it, he says it’s going to be more difficult. I’m going to be arrested, I’m going to be beaten, I’m going to be tried, I’m going to be crucified and I’m going to be raised again on the third day.

20. 11:06

    And he teaches it in words of 1 syllable. He could not say it more simply. And they don’t get it. So it’s all right for us. Now we look back on it and we can, we can see what it means. But for them, this, this marvellous man, this wonderful preacher, this man who had seemingly all power was going to be taken and crucified.

21. 11:26

    And what’s this about coming out of the grave three days later? What? What does he mean by that? They, they were puzzled. So a vision of the Kingdom, but to get there we have to go to the cross. And what’s the reaction of the disciples? What’s the reaction of the disciples? Verse 46, There arose A reasoning among them which of them should be greatest. Can’t you just sense the disappointment at that? At that moment?

22. 11:54

    Christ given them this vision of the Kingdom. He’s tried to explain the steps He’s got to go through to get there, to get them there. And their priority is who will be greatest Lord, who, who, who’s who’s going to be the best in the Kingdom of God? Who’s going to be the greatest?

23. 12:09

    Who’s going to have the most important position? Doesn’t that seek sound to you as a, as a, as a rather disappointing position that these disciples are taking that that the Lord might have hoped for more? And yet that’s where the disciples are now. We shouldn’t be quick to judge these disciples. It’s easy for us to sit here and say, fancy concentrating on who’s going to be the best, who’s going to be the greatest.

24. 12:42

    Well, at least they were thinking about the Kingdom, which is interesting, isn’t it? They were Kingdom focused individual. So they weren’t saying who’s going to be the richest in this life, who’s going to have the best fishing boat in this life, who’s going to have the best business in this life. They’re not saying that, are they? Which is maybe sometimes where you and I stoop to. They are at least looking to the Kingdom. And the other thing we shouldn’t overlook in this flawed performance, well that’s what it is, is that they all thought they would be in the Kingdom.

25. 13:19

    Have you noticed that? Whereas if I was to take a straw poll from you on day one and say, do you think you’ll be in the Kingdom, I’d get a mixed range of answers. Me, I don’t think I’ll be good enough for the Kingdom. And yet every one of us with some confidence can say there is a place in the Kingdom for me. I know that because Christ has prepared it, whether or not I choose to take it is a different matter. I really want to take it.

26. 13:51

    I really want to choose it. There is a place for you in the Kingdom of God. It’s yours if you want it. But not everyone will, sadly. Well, these men did and, and, and there was no thought of we, we don’t think we’ll make it into the Kingdom, but if we do, could we have this that they’re falling out amongst themselves about who will be greatest.

27. 14:12

    So at least they thought they would be in the Kingdom. Give them credit for that. And the Lord Jesus Christ is going to, is going to talk to them about greatest and smallest, best positions and smallest positions. It’s verse 48, isn’t it, where we get this teaching of the Lord Jesus. Whosoever shall receive this child in my name, receiveth me. Whosoever shall receive me, receiveth him that sent me, for he that is least among you all the same shall be great. And I’d like you to lift that teaching out of the Scriptures, and I’d like you to apply it to yourself in whatever circumstances you find yourself.

28. 14:55

    You are not to be a seeker of fame and praise of men. That will get you nowhere if you’re willing to be the servant and if you’re willing to work and contribute, then there will be great blessings ahead. So that’s where we find the disciples just after the transfiguration. And Jesus has to say you need to be a servant.

29. 15:24

    You need to be the least. Let’s go to to Mark chapter 10 then which which was our reading this is a little bit further on chronologically. We can’t just pin it exactly, but we know it’s taking place in this last six months from the transfiguration to the crucifixion. There’s a six month gap sometimes further on and in Mark chapter 10, verse 35, we have James and John, the sons of Zebedee who are coming to the Lord Jesus.

30. 15:55

    I don’t, I can’t remember which gospel it is, but one gospel tells us it’s the mother who comes with them, It’s Salome who comes along with them and she’s saying to Jesus, can you make sure that once it’s on your right and once it’s on your left. You see, despite the teaching of of the Lord Jesus a few days, few weeks earlier, Salome is coming along now and saying I want my sons James and John to sit on your right hand side and your left hand side.

31. 16:29

    And these disciples don’t seem to have got it, do they? Now if if you want to work out some of the family links in the Gospel Records, a very good place to start is to look at all the different women who were present when the Lord was crucified. Gospel Records gives us lists of names of the different women who stood alongside and saw Jesus die. And if you, if you line that up and piece together that evidence, you get interesting insights and information. And you, you quickly realize that Salome, who comes here was Mary’s sister Mary, the mother of Jesus. This is Aunt Salome coming along here, all right. And she’s saying, James and John, your cousins, Jesus, can they sit on your right hand and your left hand? Well, all the other disciples, what, what, what’s going on here?

32. 17:28

    Then what’s all this family tie business? Who’s who, who’s using the inside track to get the best seats? We, we wanted the great to be greatest. And now auntie’s coming along and saying, can James and John sit on your right and left? Well, that’s not fair. Just because we’re not family members. How, how come we should be left out in this? And, and it’s, it’s difficult, isn’t it? But again, notice, notice there’s a Kingdom focus, which is to be admired.

33. 18:02

    Notice also, they knew the Kingdom was coming and they were going to make preparations for it. We’ve talked about that. And these people are trying to work out where they’re going to be in the Kingdom and where they want to be in the Kingdom. I, I give them, I, I, I give them credit for that. Some of us are indifferent about the Kingdom. Well, these weren’t.

34. 18:22

    They knew what they wanted and they knew where they wanted to be and they knew they wanted to be next to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, isn’t that lovely? Isn’t that special that these people wanted to be near the Lord Jesus? And yet it’s still flawed performance because they’re interested in greatness and superiority. And that becomes apparent if we look at verse verse 42 here Jesus called them and to him and saith unto them, You know, that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles, exercise lordship over them.

35. 19:01

    And they’re great ones, exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you, but whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister. And here is the Lord Jesus Christ having to having to tell them that that’s not the right priority. It’s not about who’s greatest and who’s not. And he’s repeating the teaching that we get in Luke Chapter 9.

36. 19:23

    So as we get closer to the time of crucifixion, maybe the disciples didn’t know that. They’re still keen to know who’s going to be greatest in the Kingdom of God. It’s Luke’s gospel that teaches us the little parable about when you were invited to the feast. Don’t take the best seats because it’s mighty embarrassing when someone more important than you comes along and you have to move down the table.

37. 19:50

    Much better to sit at the bottom of the table and someone say, why don’t you come up a bit, you are more important, come and sit at the top. Jesus teaches that. And that should be our mindset. We should be the least. Not seeking to be the greatest. So here are the disciples vying for positions in the Kingdom. And you can see in verse 41, as Brother Thomas read for us, when the 10 heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.

38. 20:27

    I’m not quite sure exactly why they would they were that disappointed. Maybe they wanted those positions. Maybe they were sorry that they hadn’t thought to ask first. James and John have now asked for those they baggy those positions. Wish we’d have thought of that sooner. And maybe they’re just a bit a bit crossed that they did didn’t get in there. So the Lord is having to repeat his teachings and the disciples, the disciples, I wonder if they get it. They’ve had it twice now.

39. 21:03

    And we get to the Last Supper and we find that they didn’t get it. Can we admit to Luke chapter 22 please? Would you this this is repeated flawed performance. Don’t you think that this is this is just the kind of thing that you and I are about. You know, we do something wrong and Jesus teaching hits US and we think we’re a bit out of line here.

40. 21:33

    But then soon we’re we’re back into the flawed performance here we are in in in Luke chapter 22. Notice in verse 7 that Jesus asks, oh sorry, verse 8, Jesus asks Peter and John to go and prepare the Passover that we may eat. These are the 2 where the rivalry is. You know, James and John were asking for the best seats.

41. 22:01

    How’s Peter going to feel about that? I thought, I thought, Lord, you said to me that you’re going to build your church on me. I thought I was going to be the foundation of the ecclesia and now they’re asking for the best seats. Peter and John were rivals in this little ecclesia of 12 members and the Lord Jesus Christ. To try and overcome the rivalry, he’s sending them out on a mission together.

42. 22:25

    Go and do something together, have a have a different focus which isn’t at one another. Go out there and prepare for the Passover. So together Peter and John are going to find this individual who’s got the room where preparation would be made. And there’s all sorts of little lessons in that section which we won’t go into.

43. 22:47

    But then you look further down very familiar words. Verse 17 Jesus is taking the cup, giving thanks, saying take this and divide it among yourselves. Verse 19 he took the bread, gave thanks, break it and gave it unto them saying this is my body which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. This is the the the teaching about the crucial moment of sacrifice and the Lord Jesus Christ is giving them here the very mechanism by which they will remember his sacrifice was the most important thing and and we’ve now got to the point of crucifixion.

44. 23:29

    This is the night before the Lord will be killed few hours within a few hours of this is going to be arrested and put on trial. 1st 23 And they began to inquire among themselves which of them it was that should do this thing that’s betray him. And there was also a strife among them which of them should be accounted the greatest? Six months later, they’ve heard this teaching now at least on 2 occasions.

45. 24:02

    Maybe they heard it on more occasion. And there could not be a more important moment in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and his disciples. And here they are saying, who’s going to be the greatest, I wonder, in the Kingdom? And it’s astonishing, isn’t it, that the Lord Jesus Christ has to put up with this kind of flawed performance, this, this repeat failure.

46. 24:27

    And, and, and these men are no different to you and me, You know, those of us who come Sunday by Sunday. And you’re thinking on a scale, a gradual scale. I have, I have no improvements to show from last week, You know, and if I look back to last year or the year before, where’s the trend line going? Is it improving or am I just standing still or am I deteriorating?

47. 24:49

    These people are six months later, no further forward than who’s going to be the greatest in the Kingdom. And it’s at this point, we know it’s at this point you need to, you need to piece the Gospels together. But after the supper, it’s at this point where the Lord Jesus Christ gets out of his seat, kneels down, girds himself with a cloth, washes their feet and shows them that’s the kind of service unit Christ is about to be crucified.

48. 25:20

    And he’s having to show them who will be greatest by his example, and it’s by being least who’s going to follow. This example saves the Lord Jesus. And Christ wasn’t implementing something. He wasn’t instituting something, saying you need to all go and wash one another’s feet. He’s not doing that. It’s an example of humble, lowly service.

49. 25:41

    This is what I want you to do. Forget being greatest. Have a go at this. And that’s where we should all be. And I wonder then if we can just lift that this is a little ecclesia of very knowledgeable and experienced brothers who’ve all got the Holy Spirit, who’ve all had wonderful experience teaching and preaching and witnessing the things of the Lord Jesus.

50. 26:06

    They’ve got the Lord Jesus Christ as their head among them you. You could not wish for a better leader of an ecclesia. And still in this ecclesia there are disputes and fallings out. Isn’t that remarkable? Do not be surprised that in your ecclesia with all our fallibility and all our failings, there aren’t disputes and and disappointments and falling that it happens.

51. 26:32

    It happens. Even Jesus couldn’t get his disciples to see the right way here. So there’s, there’s an interesting picture, I think of flawed behaviour which runs through the life of the disciples and we can relate to it because we are caught up in this type of flawed performance. So I was going to put that on the screen, Sorry. So, so, so, so that’s that’s the kind of people we are. And if I sent you home now on that message, you’d think that’s a bit disappointing, isn’t it?

52. 27:09

    It’s a bit of a low point to finish. So I want us to remember that our God is a God who forgives. Your flawed performance is not so flawed that he cannot forgive. Now, what do you think about forgiveness? Let’s just test this little subject for a moment or two. Are there any conditions to forgiveness? OK, just think about that.

53. 27:38

    Our God is a wonderful, loving, merciful, kind, generous God who wants to forgive. He wants you in the Kingdom. His Son has been sacrificed to secure your place. His Son has been raised and has gone to heaven to prepare a place and will come again so that he can gather you to be with him. Those are the simple Bible principles that we understand. And the Kingdom of God will be established on earth and God will forgive our sins.

54. 28:06

    So are there any conditions or can you just sit back and say God will forgive me? Doesn’t matter, I’ll be OK. Well, there are conditions. There are conditions. Come with me to Matthew chapter 6, please. Would you? Matthew chapter 6 contains an obvious condition. If I’d given you a bit of time, I think a lot of you would have thought of this.

55. 28:39

    Here is the condition for you to be forgiven. Matthew chapter 6, verse 12, halfway through the Lord’s Prayer. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever our men. The prayer finishes there, and the only section of the prayer that gets a repeat mention is in verse 14.

56. 29:06

    And it’s this point. For if ye forgive men their trespassers, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. So condition seems to be clear there, doesn’t it? I have to forgive others. If God’s going to forgive me, I have to forgive others.

57. 29:24

    There’s an enormous problem with that. There’s an enormous problem with that. What if I’m not very good at forgiving others? OK, am I now limiting God’s ability to forgive? What, what? What if your biggest problem ever is forgiving other people, does that mean you will never be forgiven because you can’t forgive other people?

58. 29:47

    Or, or or what if you’re good at it and you forgive other people? You can then turn around to God and say, well, I’ve played my bit. I I’ve forgiven you. You now are obliged to forgive me. You’re on the hook here, Lord, because I’ve done it, so you need to forgive me. Sounds a bit legalistic.

59. 30:06

    Sounds a bit transactional, doesn’t it? So I struggle with this. What does it mean when I have to forgive others in order that God can forgive my sins? Well, let’s just park that for a moment, OK? There seems to be a condition here, but we don’t quite understand it. I don’t quite understand it, at least at this point. Let’s think of one or two other conditions. Are there some other conditions for us to be forgiven? Absolutely there are.

60. 30:36

    Come, we admit to 1 John One, please, would you? Let’s learn about these conditions. Let’s see if we understand them. Let’s see if we can comply with the conditions. 1 John One lovely little chapter. Verse 9 Here is a straightforward condition if you want to be forgiven of your flawed performance. Verse 9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So there’s a condition we need to confess our sins. I can do that.

61. 31:23

    I might not, I want to always, I might be very careful who I confess my sins to. But there’s the point isn’t that there needs to be some acknowledgments that you have done wrong. You need to confess. OK, so that’s condition number one. We can get that. We can understand that condition #2 comes just a couple of verses earlier.

62. 31:44

    If you look at verse 7, this is a bit more complicated, so let’s just work through it. If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin, piercing that verse together. The verse begins if we walk in the light and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all our sin.

63. 32:08

    If we walk in the light, you see the, the, the point is, it’s no good just confessing your sin. There needs to be some kind of effort made to walk in the light. I’ve I’ve done wrong, Lord, I should not have done that. And I am going to try to walk in the light now.

64. 32:25

    I’m going to try and do the right thing. I’m not going to try and do that. I’ll fail. I’ll I’ll be disappointing. I’ll be disappointed because I’m a man of flawed performance, but I’m going to try. That’s where the where the the Lord was with the woman and taking an adultery. Neither do I condemn thee. That was his lovely words.

65. 32:44

    But then he says go and sin no more. You know, walk in the light. So second condition is quite straightforward as well. Confess and walk in the light. So that then leaves our third condition about forgiving others. How does this work? Can we admit to Matthew chapter 18? Let me try and show you what condition #3 forgiving others is all about. Matthew chapter 18.

66. 33:18

    The, the, the background here is quite special. I I think it’s about a brother offending, a brother trespassing. This is where the forgiveness comes in. In verse 15. For example, if thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and you. Do it privately. You’ll notice that this is this is lifted. This little section is lifted and it’s enshrined in our ecclesial constitutions and our ecclesial guide. This is such sound advice by the Lord Jesus Christ. If you’ve got a problem with your brother, go and speak to him first privately.

67. 33:58

    In our ecclesia, what we tend to do is we check with others. I’ve got a problem with brothers so and so. Do you know what he did to me? He did this. Is he done the same to you? Go and speak to sister so and so. Have you had the same problem with that brother? You know you speak to half a dozen people before you go and speak to the brother first.

68. 34:15

    Don’t do that. Say to the Lord Jesus. If you’ve got a problem with a brother privately, go and speak to him and see, see where you get. And then if he doesn’t listen verse 16 or you don’t make much progress, go with two or three others. Keep it small, keep it private. See if you can sort out the problem with somebody else present and if they then still he won’t listen. Verse 17.

69. 34:38

    Well, bring it before the ecclesia. Try and resolve it. Ecclesia. And it’s an escalating thing, but follow those steps first. Don’t jump straight to stage 3 in this particular process. When when Peter’s heard all this verse 21, then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how OFT show my brother sin against me and I forgive him till 7 times and Peter’s got someone in mind here and I suspect it’s John. But this rivalry here and Peter’s fed up with this brother.

70. 35:12

    How often do I have to forgive him Lord, you know how he’s treating me. You know how he’s behaving. You know what he’s doing to me. How many times do I need to forgive him? And the Jews had a tradition that it was 77 sounds like a lot actually. Someone kept doing something wrong to you. 3 * 4 * 5 times, seven times. Surely forgiveness for seven times is enough. It has its roots in the Old Testament. Amos talks about for three transgressions and for four says the Lord, I will do this, that the Jews added them together. That must mean 77 is the number we’ll work on, that we’ll forgive 7 times.

71. 35:50

    But if you do it #8 forgiveness is up no more. And of course, the Lord Jesus Christ says something different, doesn’t it? Not not till 7:00, but till 7 times 70 * 7 or your version might say 77. The the the scholars don’t seem to know that. The point is that the the number’s irrelevant.

72. 36:13

    It’s not for counting. You keep forgiving. So so here we’re learning about forgiving transgressions against us. Jesus is wanting us to forgive even if someone is a a repeat offender. And then he teaches this parable which you will know well, about the man who had the big debt and the man who had the very small debts. Here it is in verse 23.

73. 36:42

    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. 10,000 talents. I don’t know what what what do you think a talent is? Gold coin, piece of silver. A talent is 66 kilograms of something. All right, that’s that’s getting on for a an adult’s body weight 66 kilograms.

74. 37:14

    If you if you worked as a hired servant and earned a penny a day and worked every day for 20 years, you would have accumulated one talent. 20 years. You’d have to work for 200,000 years. OK to to earn 10,000 talents, a huge, huge thing. Do you remember Hayman who wanted to kill the Jews?

75. 37:39

    He promised that he would pay the king 10,000 talents if he let him kill all the Jews. He hadn’t got 10,000 talents. That was his assessment of all the wealth of all the Jews in all the empire that he would gather together. He might have gathered a bit more and kept some for himself, but he was promising the king 10,000 talents.

76. 37:59

    This is a huge sum. And notice what the man does. So the king is cross, the king who calls him verse 25. But for as much as he had not to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold his wife, his children and all that he had and payment to be made. Notice that if these talents are this debt is a is a sin or a transgression.

77. 38:26

    Notice that your sins and your actions affect others. Don’t ever think that no one is affected by the sins that we commit here. His wife and his children are going to be affected by his behaviour and the servant. We’ve seen this response elsewhere, haven’t. The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying Lord, have patience with me and I will repay the all.

78. 38:52

    Come on, how are you going to do that? Here is the servant saying just give me time and I’ll pay it back, which is nonsense. There’s no way he’s going to pay it back. But that’s the attitude isn’t it? I’ll work, I’ll pay, I’ll I’ll surf until the debt is cleared. Just give me time.

79. 39:09

    You can’t do that and the Lord knows that. So the Lord just doesn’t give him time. He removes the debt and then of course the, the, the this individual who is now freed from this huge debt on the scale of a national debt, he goes and finds the fellow who owed him less.

80. 39:30

    Verse 28, 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 what thou owest. He only owed 100 pence. Give him three months, he could pay that, not 200,000 years, three months, he could repay that and he’s not going to give him any time at all.

81. 39:53

    He would not but went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt. So he’s not forgiving. So, so as a consequence, the debt is reinstated, the 10,000 talents is reinstated and he is thrown into prison until the debt be paid. And, and, and again, this is supposed to be a parable about us learning how to forgive.

82. 40:16

    And we’re puzzled by it because 1 is not forgiving. So his debt is not forgiven, it’s reinstated. But we’re confused because God doesn’t forgive and then reinstate debts, does he? Psalm 103 tells us that, you know, he doesn’t say I’ve forgiven you, but I’m going to just keep it in reserve in case I need to bring it out and present it on Judgement Day. God doesn’t do that.

83. 40:38

    He blots the sins out. They’re gone. They’re forgotten. So, so, so. I’m puzzled by this. It seems to suggest that the debt wasn’t forgiven because he wouldn’t forgive, which is in line with the Lord’s Prayer until you realize the truth of the of the parable here. You see, the wonderful thing about forgiving others in order that we might be forgiven is that God has gone first, OK, God has gone first.

84. 41:09

    He’s forgiven you, your debts. And now what he’s doing, he’s giving you the opportunity to be like him and for you to forgive others their debts. So, so, so in all your flawed performance where you’re worried about your continued poor behaviour, just like disciples in the time of the Lord Jesus Christ, he’s saying forgiveness is here, confess, try and walk in the light. I’ve forgiven you, yours, you go out and forgive others. You be like me and show my character. And this is confirmed.

85. 41:52

    Just look at this little verse in Ephesians 4, would you? This is just confirmed for us in Ephesians 4 verse 32, which just underlines this principle for us and it’s a very important 1, I think Ephesians 4 verse 32, Paul says be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. That’s the right way around, isn’t it? He has forgiven us and because we have been forgiven, we will forgive others.

86. 42:38

    Now that might not sound very profound for you, but that’s the most wonderful thing for me. God has gone 1st and has forgiven our sins and is giving us the opportunity to show the same character of God to other people. Now we could pursue that a little bit further and we could say, well, if God’s put conditions on me for my forgiveness, can I put conditions on others for their forgiveness? Can I say I’ll forgive you?

87. 43:07

    But you’ve got to do 123 first. Don’t think so. Don’t think so. That’s not the teaching of Matthew 18. Forgive. Even if he’s done it 7 times or 70 * 7, you forgive. And the Lord Jesus Christ when he was being executed said Father forgive them for they know not what they do.

88. 43:28

    He wasn’t laying any conditions on the Roman soldiers who were crucifying him at the time or the Jewish authorities who would arranged all this. Christ forgave and we should do the same. Coming to Matthew chapter 25 please. So I want to draw our thoughts to a close this week with one last life transforming saying of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it’s in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins that we get here in Matthew chapter 25.

89. 44:05

    We know all about this parable. We know about the benefit of taking extra oil, someone who spent time preparing their lamp and being ready. And then we get to the disappointment, don’t we, that even though five were wise and not like the five foolish, it tells us in verse 5 of Matthew chapter 5 that while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. Every single one of them.

90. 44:35

    And can’t you just be ready for the bridegroom coming? And they all slumbered and slept. Here’s another little picture of flawed performance, even by the wise virgins. Bert, verse 6. At midnight there was a cry made. OK, at midnight the cry goes up. Who makes the cry? I. I don’t know in this parable who makes the cry, but at midnight I’ve got 10 sleeping virgins who are not ready for the bridegroom coming.

91. 45:15

    But someone’s awake and someone’s watching and someone makes the cry that the bridegroom’s here. Isn’t that interesting? Someone is watching and it’s not one of these virgins. Well, if you just turn over to chapter 26, brothers and sisters, you’ll see who was doing the watching while everybody was asleep, and it’s none of them. The Lord Jesus Christ himself.

92. 45:45

    At verse 36, he goes into the garden, and he takes with him, verse 37, Peter and James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. And he began to be sorrowful and very heavy, and said unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. Tarry ye here and watch with me. I want you to watch saves Jesus.

93. 46:07

    And he went a little further forward and fell on his face and prayed. And then verse 40, He comes onto his disciples and finding finds them asleep. What could you not watch with me one hour? Why did the Lord Jesus Christ, when he went forward and prayed privately and left the three behind, why do you think he came back? What was it just to catch them out? Did he know they’d be asleep and he was coming to catch them out? Or was he coming back to encourage them to watch and not sleep?

94. 46:40

    Because who knows what danger is coming? He’s on the lookout. He’s about to be crucified, and he cares for his disciples and goes back to ask them if they’re up and watching and praying. The Lord Jesus Christ is the one who’s doing the watching. And then he goes off and prays again a little further. And when he returns verse 43 the second time, he finds them asleep because their eyes were heavy and bless him, he left them and went away.

95. 47:12

    And eventually he returns and say sleep on now and take your rest because he’s doing the watching. So, so in a time of flawed performance, the Lord is always ready to forgive. He’s showing us how to forgive. And He cares and watches over His flock. Even at this time of greatest trial and tribulation.

96. 47:38

    He was watching over their flock. Which leads me to my final saying of the week and my last slide of the week. And it’s these words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. Now what? What does that mean to you? What does that mean to you? Normally it means to us that the Lord Jesus Christ is about to return. His return is imminent.

97. 48:05

    He is at the door. He is knocking at the door. The Lord Jesus Christ is about to return in his Kingdom. And the encouragement seems to be, Are you ready for the Lord Jesus? Are you prepared for him? Are you awake and watching or have you fallen into sleep? I’d like to suggest just look at Revelation 320 would you haven’t already done so. We’re going to read this and I’m going to sit down. Jesus says, behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man will hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will Sup with him and he with me. You see here is the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s standing at the door and he is knocking. And that means, brothers, sisters, young people, the very next action has to be yours.

98. 49:04

    It doesn’t say I’m standing at the door, I’m knocking and if you don’t answer, I’m going to barge it open and force myself in. Doesn’t say that. It says I’m standing at your door. I am knocking at your door. I want to come in to your life

99. 49:23

    and you will be blessed if you will open that door. And now, sadly, some of us might leave it closed, but our lives will be transformed if we will listen to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and we will open the door and let him into our lives and become his disciples. Thank you very much for your patient attendance and attention through the week.

100. 49:51

     It’s been a delight to speak here. I’ve loved every minute of it. And thank you for your good fellowship together.