Open—James House
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Yeah.
While I'm opinionated, I recommend that you love God. I've always been.
No, no, no, no, no exclamation point.
Yeah, let me know if you can do anything you have to do. We need a job. Come.
I didn't see anything.
But.
Yeah.
Right now.
I'm OK, so you're looking for wedding and they didn't have, uh, anything from.
Uh-huh.
I appreciate it. Umm.
So far and praying and the last time I'm still here and I'm going to get back to, you know, uh, I'm not supposed to have the most important one for you.
00:05:20
I have a burden on my heart to share this morning.
Hope it will be fairly direct.
Before I share it, uh, for those of you who know me, umm.
You might not always see me live out when I'm going to share.
But I hope that the Lord will give you the grace to look past any feelings you see in me or anybody else, and to follow up what's in His Word. And I hope to share some verses in His work.
The burden on my heart is an exhortation to forgiveness.
Few years ago.
After him sing, I was hanging out with my friend Matthew Judd.
We, uh, we probably played hockey the night before.
And we're going back and forth.
Talking Smack and.
He'd say something witty about my hockey performance, I'd say something witty about his. We're having a good time.
But then he landed a shot that I didn't have an answer for.
And I realized I needed to beat a retreat, and I decided to retreat via the High Road. So I said, Matthew, it's OK. I'm gonna let it go. I forgive you.
The truce lasted for about a minute.
Matthew wasn't out of ammunition.
He had another shot for me, but this shot I had an answer for and so I quickly gave my report.
There was an older sister sitting there listening to us.
And no sooner were the words out of my mouth than she looked over at me and she said, James, I thought you said you forgave him.
And as I sat there in stunned silence, she said. It's not so easy, is it?
To begin, I'd like to establish 2 reference points.
First, imagine. Remember the best thing you've ever done for the Lord.
That time when you were close to him and you did something for the Lord and.
And it just was something that, if I can say irreverently, if the Lord owes you a favor for anything, it would be for what you did that day.
So that's on one side.
And I might be on thin ice here, but on the other side, imagine the worst thing that a brother or sister in Christ has ever done to you.
Those are our two reference points.
The Lord Jesus could say.
I do always those things that please my father.
In Hebrews 10 he said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.
And in John 17, he said, I have finished the work.
Which thou gave us to me to do. Let's go to Psalm 22.
We have our two reference points. They're different for each person in this room.
What you've done for the Lord.
A reason why you deserve something.
A reason why you deserve a certain level of treatment of respect.
The other reference points.
What somebody might have done to you and I in no way I'm trying to belittle that.
I'm only trying to make light of what might have happened in your life.
But I'd like for all of us, especially for myself, to look at the example of our Lord Jesus. Psalm 22. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring? Oh my God, I cry in the daytime without hearest, not in the night season, and I'm not silent.
With our holy, O thou that inhabiteth the praises of Israel.
Verse six I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despise of the people. All they that see me lack me to score, and they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him, let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
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Verse 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, for there is none to help. Many bowls of compass can be strong bowls of beige, and have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths as a ravening and a roaring lion.
I import out like water and all my bones are out of joints. My heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a pot shirt, and my tongue cleave with my jaws.
For Thou has brought me into the dust of death. Psalm 69.
Save me, O God, for the waters that come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire where there is no standing. I am coming to deep waters where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying. My throat is dried. Mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. They that would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully are mighty.
Then I restored that which I took not away.
Verse 11 I made sackcloth also my garments, and I became a proverb to them. They that sit in the gate speak against me, and I was the song of the drunkards.
Verse 14 Deliver me out of the mire and let me not think. Let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
Letting let the water flood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. Psalm 38.
Psalm 38, verse 8.
I am feeble and sore broken. I've roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
Lowered all my desires before thee, and my groaning is not hit from thee. My heart paneth, my strength fails me. As for the light of mine eyes, it is also gone from me. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore, and my kinsmen stand afar off. They also that seek after my life lay snares for me. They that seek my heart speak mischievous things and imagine deceits all the day long.
Verse 19 My enemy is our lively and they are strong, they that hate me wrongfully.
Are multiplied they also that render evil for good are mine adversaries, because I follow the thing that good is forsake me not, O Lord, Oh my God, be not far from me.
Marks Gospel.
Chapter 14.
Verse 56.
For many bear false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.
And there are a certain and bear false witness against him.
Down in verse 65 and some began to spit on him.
And to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him prophecy. And the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.
Chapter 15.
Verse 15.
And so Pilot, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus when He had scourged Him to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away into the hall called Praetorium. And they called together the whole band, And they clothed them with purple and Plaid of the crown of thorns, and put it above his head, and began to salute him. Hail, King of the Jews. And they smote him on the head with a Reed, and did spit upon him. And.
Their knees worshipped him.
And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him and put his own clothes on him, and let him out to crucify him.
And down verse 29, they that pass by railed on him, wagging their heads and saying, Uh, thou to destroy us the temple, and build a sit in three days, save thyself and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking sent among themselves with the scribes. He saved others, himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.
And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
Now just hold your place there in Mark.
Go for one verse to John to Luke's Gospel, Luke 23.
Move 23.
Verse 34.
Then said Jesus.
Father.
Forgive them, for they know not what they do. Back to our place in Mark.
Picking up at mark 1533 when the 6th hour was come.
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There was darkness.
Over the whole land until the 9th hour.
And at the 9th hour Jesus Christ with a loud voice saying Elohim.
Sabachthani, which is being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Those words in Luke 23 again, Father, forgive them.
Hebrews, chapter 12.
I hope from my own heart and also for everybody else this year.
I hope those first two reference points that we set up.
Based on our own experience, I hope they're gone.
How they've been replaced with two new reference points that are so far apart they aren't even comparable to the first set.
Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 15.
Part way through the verse.
Left any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled. Colossians, chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3.
And verse 13.
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrel against any.
Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Ephesians chapter 4.
Ephesians chapter 4.
Verse 31.
Let all bitterness.
And wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice, And be kind one to another, tender hearted.
Forgiving one another.
Even as God for Christ sake has forgiven you, be there for followers of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for His sweet smelling savour.
For giving one another, even as God for Christ sake hath forgiven you. Be therefore followers of God.