Good News Baptist Church
Sundays July
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  • Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
  • Narrow Way
  • Only Christ
  • God Of The Ages

  • Introduction

    We continue our study of the life and ministry of Christ today, and since it has been a little while since we’ve been in this study, I want us to remember some things.
    We are in the last year of Jesus’ ministry, likely about 8 or 9 months left before He is arrested and crucified. During this time, Jesus is focusing the majority of His teaching to the disciples. Though He will make more discourses to the masses, His main focus is teaching the 12 disciples, preparing them to lead this new church that Jesus is establishing with them as the first members.
    After having journeyed throughout Caesarea Philippi, they return to Capernaum where Jesus asks them about an argument they were having on their way. It turns out, the disciples had been arguing over something very childish — who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
    So, Jesus starts to preach a sermon to them. I have titled the breakdown of this sermon, Childish Behaviors. We can find a bit of this sermon in Luke chapter 9 and a bit more of it in Mark chapter 9. But the whole of Matthew 18 is dedicated to this discourse.
    The first childish behavior that Jesus addresses is the main one that the disciples are arguing about — seeking preeminence. In this section, Jesus tells the disciples that those that would seek to be in first place in the Kingdom of Heaven, must be the servant of all mankind. Jesus, obviously, is the only person that perfectly fits the description as one who served all humanity, and we saw many passages that confirm that Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the name above all names; He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and is to be preeminent in all things. He is the greatest in the Kingdom, and since we are citizens and servants of that Kingdom, He is to have first place in our lives.
    After that, we saw that Jesus took a child, just a toddler, to use as an example of how people must enter into the kingdom of heaven — in childlike faith. Trusting that Jesus is who He says He is, even without completely understanding all that it entails. Not just believing, but trusting Him for salvation.
    Then, Jesus addresses another childish behavior, one that is very dangerous and one that Jesus takes very seriously — Reckless Offenders. We studied out the word “offense” in this sermon in the way that the Bible uses it. We saw that it does not mean something that hurts my feelings, but instead it means something that makes somebody stumble in their walk to or with God.
    A reckless offender is one that does not consider others. He lives as though he is the preeminent one, and does not think about others or simply does not care about others. Though our behaviors certainly can affect people who are lost and influence whether they come to Christ or not, the context of this passage and this particular sermon of Jesus is offense to other Christians.
    We must be careful that we do not trip other Christians up in their walk with Jesus. Throughout his writings, we see the example of the Apostle Paul as he deals with both mature and immature Christians. In one of his letters to the Corinthians, Paul addresses eating meat that has been sacrificed to idols. Keep in mind, these Christians in Corinth are not from Jewish descent, so they have never had the command to not eat meat that was sacrificed to idols, however, they would have very likely had some interaction with Jews, and at the very least, we know that some of them had believed that this was not a right thing to do. And Paul addresses it in 1 Corinthians 8.
    Paul says, “Concerning eating food sacrificed to idols, first off, we know that an idol is nothing in this world. It has no power; it is not a god of any kind, and only the Lord God is God. We know this, so, food sacrificed to idols is food sacrificed to nothing, and therefore, you can eat it. No big deal. HOWEVER, there are those whose conscience will not allow them to eat of any food that has been sacrificed to idols, it doesn’t sit well with them; and if they were to do so, it would violate their conscience.” And Paul makes it a point to say that they that hold to that belief have a weak conscience — in other words, they are weaker in the faith. And that is all good, because if we consider ourselves here, there are some people who are stronger and more mature in their walk with the Lord than others.
    So, Paul instructs those who will not eat that meat because it violates their conscience, he instructs them to not eat. He doesn’t say, “Start eating it and pretty soon you won’t mind,” he says, “Don’t eat it if it bothers you, and if it is not of faith.” And then he instructs the stronger Christians to be careful how they conduct themselves around those that are weaker in the faith. He says in 8:9, “We are free to eat of that meat, yes, but be careful not to use your liberty in such a way that it causes another weaker Christian to stumble.” You may have the knowledge of the liberty we have in Christ, but there are others that do not — be careful that your practice of liberty in Christ does not actually make a weaker brother or sister stumble in their walk with Christ.
    We did not break this down when we went over this, but let’s look at it quickly before we move into our next area. 1 Corinthians 8:9-13
    1 Corinthians 8:9–13 KJV 1900
    9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. 10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; (the strong Christians had a knowledge that a fake god could not contaminate a food that was sacrificed to idols. They understood, and had faith, that their God, the One true God, was bigger than any demon or idol. They had no problem eating food sacrificed to idols. They ate in faith. However, those that were weak in their faith, believing that the idol was indeed something more than just a representation of a false, non-existent, fake god, might see the stronger Christians eat that meat and then, eat of it also — not in knowledge, but in ignorance, while still having their consciences bother them. 11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? [Perish - not go to hell, but stay weak in his walk with the Lord.] 12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. [So, when you, in your Christian liberty, do things that make weaker Christians act against their conscience that is still weak, you sin against them and you sin against God.] 13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. [So, if I know that eating meat makes a brother in Christ stumble, then I will never eat meat again so as to not make them stumble.]
    Why would any kind of meat make somebody stumble in this context? Because, some of the newer, weaker Christians did not know if the meat they were being offered at someone’s house came from the temple of from the meat market, so, in order to avoid even the possibility of them accidentally eating sacrificed meat, they would abstain from meat altogether. They would abstain from meat.
    Hebrews 11 gives us a very great commentary on this in verse 12. Hebrews 11:6
    Hebrews 11:6 KJV 1900
    6 But without faith it is impossible to please him [God]...
    If we do things, not having faith that this is the correct thing to do or that it is God-directed, we sin. Faith in Jesus, faith in His word, faith that we are obeying God in our actions is what makes our obedience acceptable. Lack of faith is disobedience, even when doing the “right thing.” This is why obeying mindlessly, going through the motions in our prayer, Bible reading, etc., is sinful.
    Anyway, Jesus, in Matthew 18, tells the disciples to not be reckless offenders. Consider others in love and humility before you act. Because the way that we treat others is the way that Jesus takes it very personally. Do not be reckless in your dealings with other Christians.
    And finally, today we get to the last childish behavior that Jesus addresses in this sermon to His disciples, and it is the behavior of unforgiveness.

    Unforgiveness

    Go with me, if you have your Bible, to Matthew chapter 18. This will be a two part sermon.
    As we continue through this sermon, Jesus is going to touch on two things as far as dealing with forgiveness. The first is thing is about talking with people who have sinned against you or done something to hurt you.
    The second thing is about forgiving those that have wronged us. So let’s dive into the first thing.
    Matthew 18:15–20 KJV 1900
    15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
    Throughout this discourse of Jesus, the trait that He has been emphasizing is HUMILITY. Humility in not seeking preeminence (first place), the humility necessary for salvation, the humility necessary to consider others in our daily living, and finally, now, the humility necessary in restorative forgiveness.

    Talk It Out

    We are going to see a principle that Jesus prescribes when there is an offense that has happened, and by offense, I mean either a stumbling block or even the way we use offense in our modern context. The principle is to talk things out with the other people.
    Jesus has talked about forgiveness before, but with a slightly different dynamic. I take you back in time to May of 2024 where in the Sermon on the Mount, we saw Jesus deal with the issue of seeking forgiveness as reconciliation from those we may have hurt.
    Matthew 5:23–24 KJV 1900
    23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
    This is the instruction for those who have knowingly done something against a brother or sister, and have not made things right, or attempted to make things right with them yet. That knowledge of wronging someone else may have come in the moment that they did something, or it may be something that was learned later on that a word or action caused someone harm in some way.
    And when I say harm or hurt, I mean in a malicious or negligent way. There are times when dealing with someone even in biblical ways, brings hurt feelings, discomfort, and pain.
    But this is not what Jesus is talking about here. It is if you have done something to either maliciously wrong someone or negligently hurt them, go to them and reconcile before you approach the altar, before you even worship the Lord. Notice the requirement that Jesus gives — talk it out. If you are the offender and you know it, then talk it out with the person you have offended and reconcile. And, this requires humility.
    But the dynamic in Matthew 18 is different. Matthew 18:15 is concerned with the person that has been hurt, that has received the wrong.
    Matthew 18:15 KJV 1900
    15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
    If your brother should trespass against you. You are not the trespasser, you are the one who has received the trespass. What is the requirement when you have been wronged or slighted by someone? Go and talk to them.
    Under what conditions? Alone.
    This requires humility and honesty. There are times when, deliberately or accidentally or unconsciously, we offend others and hurt them. God acknowledged this as a completely different thing than trespassing maliciously against others and defined it in Old Testament Law as “sin of ignorance.” This also would include ignorantly sinning against God and breaking laws that He had established.
    David prayed for deliverance from these types of sins. Psalm 19:12
    Psalm 19:12 KJV 1900
    12 Who can understand his [his own] errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.
    The “secret faults” are not sins that he is covering up, it is wrongs that he is committing toward God and others that he doesn’t even realize. Sometimes, people do not understand that by their actions or words they have hurt someone else.
    So, when we find ourselves hurt by others, there are two biblical responses. I want to emphasize that there are two biblical responses, because there are a myriad of other responses that are not prescribed biblically, and some of those responses are twisted and perverted versions of the biblical responses.
    The first Biblical response is to talk it out, and as we talk things out, we are to keep two things in mind.

    Talk It Out Privately

    Matthew 18:15 KJV 1900
    15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
    The other person may not even be aware that they did anything wrong. If I am wronged by someone and I talk about it to others and finally go and talk to the one who offended me, it may be that they apologize or that we become reconciled and all is well between us. However, those that we have gossiped with, they have a bad taste in their mouths about what happened, they have potential judgments toward the one that offended me, and though I may be able to tell them that everything is alright between us, they may not do the same with others they have told...
    There is a story I heard of a pastor who received a call from a member of his church that wanted to talk to him about her struggles with the sin of gossip. The pastor set a time for them to meet at the church and told the woman to bring a feather pillow. On the appointed day, she arrived with that pillow, and after having a conversation over what the Bible says about gossiping, the pastor told the woman to accompany him to a room on the second floor of the church and to bring her pillow.
    She did, and when they arrived at the room, the pastor went to a window and opened it. He took the pillow from the woman, ripped a big hole in the top, and gave it back to her. She took it with a surprised look, and was even more surprised to hear the pastor say, “Now shake all the feathers out from this window.” As she did, she noticed that some of the feathers fell pretty quickly and stayed near the church building, but others were carried by the wind far beyond the church property.
    When she had finished, the pastor turned to her and said, “Now go an pick up all the feathers and put them back in the empty pillow case.” When she told the pastor that the task would be nearly impossible to do, the pastor explained that this was the damage that idle gossip can have. We may be able to tell the few people that we spread gossip to about our reconciliation with others, but because we do not know to whom they spoke, it is unlikely that gossip can ever be fully taken back.
    So Jesus tells us, “If someone has hurt you, go to them privately.”

    Talk It Out Humbly

    But their is something else that Jesus tells us to do — be humble, be meek.
    Matthew 18:15 KJV 1900
    15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
    Notice the underlined part. What does that imply along with the other things Jesus has been teaching about in this whole chapter? That the talking should be done meekly and humbly. The person offended should approach the other person in a humble and meek manner — meek meaning controlled.
    This is not taking someone and dressing them down. This is not yelling at someone who said the wrong thing or did the wrong thing. Tearing their face off, and it certainly is not doing that in a public setting, as we have already seen.
    If we are to “gain a brother” or sister, this must be approached the right way. Noticed what Galatians 6:1 says.
    Galatians 6:1 KJV 1900
    1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
    The word restore means to repair, as in to repair repair a broken bone. Think of the patience and tenderness that this requires.
    And if this works, you have gained a brother or sister. You have become more unified with them.
    However, if this does not work, then there is another step.

    Ask for Help from Others

    I am careful saying this, and you must not just take this headline and shut me off, because the others that are mentioned and that would give help are some very specific people.
    Notice Matthew 18:16
    Matthew 18:16 KJV 1900
    16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
    You’re not getting a posse to jump the person, you are taking others that will hear the matter out fully between you and the one that has wronged you to be witnesses, but also, if we remember Galatians 6:1, to help in the restoration process.
    So, who should I take with me? That is a very good and very important question. Our flesh wants to take the most intimidating person that will be on our side, but the Bible tells us who should be the ones involved in the restoration process.
    Galatians 6:1 KJV 1900
    1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
    Find one or two others that are spiritually minded, that are mature and invested in their relationship with the Lord, and to then help in the restoration process. These would be people that are interested in how the unity of believers in the church. These would be people that are outsiders to the situation that would be able to see the both sides of the issue and provide biblical advice. They may be able to explain the fault in a more understandable way. They should not be on one side or another, but should maintain a vision for restoration and unity within the church. And, spiritually minded people may also be able to tell us if we are wrong in receiving an offense or in perceiving that another brother actually sinned against us.
    But even then, after approaching someone who has wronged you in private and with the advice and counsel and witness of one or two others that are spiritually minded, it may not always resolve the issue. The other person may not see that they have sinned against you. So what happens at that point?

    Ask for Help from the Church

    If a brother or sister in Christ has trespassed, sinned against you, and you have walked through these steps, then you can bring this matter before the church. Matthew 18:17
    Matthew 18:17 KJV 1900
    17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
    When sin is not dealt with, it always spreads. The goal of this whole thing here is not winning an argument, it is winning a brother. What started as a private matter between two people, is now open for the church to see. There has been non-repentance of a sin against someone, one or two others have heard the matter and they have also pointed out sin.
    Repentance still has not happened, and the matter is now more than just a person being hurt by someone else’s sin, the matter has now exposed a believer who, even following the reproof and advice and guidance of spiritually minded, mature Christians, refuses to repent and reconcile with another brother in Christ. This is dangerous because it indicates one of two things — 1) that person is not a true Christian (meaning they have not been saved and do not have the Holy Spirit living within them), or 2) that person is a Christian but they are living in direct rebellion and defiance against God.
    Neither of these people should be in close fellowship with the church, so Jesus gives the prescribed consequence of taking away their membership in the church and considering them as if they were unbelievers.
    What does this not mean? It does not mean that that person is not allowed back in church. It does not mean that if that person is saved, they have now lost their salvation. What it does mean is that because they refuse to live by biblical norms, they cannot be treated as fellow Christians.
    Forever? No. Just until the day that they repent and reconcile. The idea is reconciliation. The hope is that if that person is not saved, they will someday see their need for salvation. If the person is saved and just living in unrepentance, then the idea is for them to understand how lonely it is to be out of fellowship with the church, and that that discomfort along with the conviction of the Holy Spirit will bring them to repentance and restoration.
    This final step allows a church to remain healthy, because, as we said earlier, unchecked sin will spread. It is important, then, that the church as a whole be spiritually minded and right before God before it attempts to discipline a fellow member. In its examination of a member, the church is actually examining and disciplining itself.
    And this is something that needs to be taken very seriously.
    I want to take a brief moment to cover the next few verses that can be and have been very misused by various people, churches, and denominations. I will take this time away from our main topic of forgiveness because it appears in our timeline and it is not an accident. I’ll be happy to take some more time to discuss it more in depth during the Life Group time if anyone has further questions about it though.
    Notice Matthew 18:18-20
    Matthew 18:18–20 KJV 1900
    18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
    These verses need to be taken in the context of the audience. The church and the Christian rule of faith and practice, the Bible tells us, is built on a particular foundation.
    We have discussed this before, but we must understand the concept of foundations in the ancient world. When we think of foundations now, we may think of a slab of concrete that is poured upon which a building will be built. Not so in the ancient world.
    Foundations were made of many large stones that were set into the earth. They all lined up on one very important stone called the cornerstone.
    Ephesians 2:20 KJV 1900
    20 And [the members of the church] are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; [clarification in brackets added]
    The church is built on the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets of the early New Testament church. They lined themselves up with the chief corner stone, Jesus Christ. And who gave them the authority to dictate how the church would be conducted? Jesus did in Matthew 18, and earlier in chapter 16 as well.
    So, what these apostles would bind or loose, what they would restrict or permit in the context of the church, would be the reflection of what was Jesus’ will in heaven concerning the church. So, though this church discipline is something given directly to the apostles, the Apostle Paul directed the church in Corinth to practice this sort of discipline in the church, absent any apostolic presence.
    Again, a brief side note here, this is one of the reasons we do not agree that there are Apostles today. The apostles had a specific and unique job, and part of that job was to lay the foundation for the function of the church. A building is not made up of many foundations laid upon each other, that job is done. Now, churches are built upon those foundational teachings.
    Anyway, the church has the authority to rescind the membership of someone because of unrepentance. Again, this is done for two reasons — 1) so that the church is not corrupted by sin that is not dealt with or that it doesn’t come under the judgment of God for not dealing with sin in the midst, and 2) it is done in the hopes that the disciplined person will repent and rejoin the church.
    In the beginning, we said that there are two things that we can do if we are the offended party. If your brother or sister in Christ has trespassed against you, you can, as we have just seen, talk it out, but there is another option as well. This option is given laid out for us in the book of 1 Corinthians by the Apostle Paul.

    Let It Go

    The second option is to let it go. And for those that possess non-confrontational personalities, this may seem like the best option. But when you get down to it, it’s not usually the easiest option.
    This option is not available for flagrant sins. That is to say, obvious sinful behavior, public sinful behavior cannot be treated in this way. The only way time that this option is available is when a personal offense has occured.
    For example, in the first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul addresses a situation in which a member of the church is having sexual relations with his stepmother. There is no mention of how the father is taking it, there is not mention of whether he is forcing himself or coercing the woman into the relationship. It is just mentioned that this man is engaging in an adulterous relationship with his on stepmother. Let’s assume that everything is consensual in this relationship. It still is a sin. And, we might think, well, that is between them and God, why should the church get involved in it. If everyone is consenting, then no one is getting hurt, let God judge them.
    The thing is, when sin is practiced and condoned and allowed, it is a problem, not just against the one sinning, but against the whole body of the church. Why? Well, in this particular case, what happens when the pastor of the church at Corinth gets up to preach and says, “We are to not engage in adultery or fornication. We ought to remain sexually pure because that is what the Word of God says.” Well, everyone knows what is going on, they see a fellow member doing quite the opposite without any consequences. And when that happens, God’s word is mocked.
    So Paul calls it out. I encourage you to read about it in 1 Corinthians 5. Paul addresses this issue that everyone in the church knows about. It’s not a secret, it is not something that only a few know about it. Paul says, “It is reported commonly.” In other words, “I hear about it from everyone.”
    Because of the blatant sin, Paul instructs the church to discipline him by putting him out of the church. He then tells the church that within the local assemblies, each church has the authority and responsibility to judge those that are within, and that those that are not a part of the church, or are outside the church, God will judge. So, Paul is basically saying to judge the person and put him out of fellowship so that God’s judgement will be on him rather on the church that is not doing their responsibility.
    What was happening in Corinth was that that particular church was happy to have this man as part of their congregation. Either because they thought they were being really inclusive or because they thought that they were extending grace to someone. Whatever the reasoning was, Paul says, “You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, not proud of yourselves.”
    So, all that to say this, some sins, particularly the ones that affect others and sins of a public nature that would discredit the testimony of the church cannot be simply “let go.” They must be dealt with.
    So what do I mean by having the option of letting it go?
    These are offenses of a personal nature. Ones that affect me, and do not publicly discredit the testimony of the Lord or of His church.
    1 Corinthians 6 deals with this. Directly after telling the church to discipline this one man, Paul begins to speak about personal offenses.
    1 Corinthians 6:1 KJV 1900
    1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
    When there is trouble among two members, why are you going to the courts of law to settle disputes instead of bringing it before the church to settle those disputes? These peopel were suing each other in public courts, and it was hurting their testimony. Let’s read on.
    1 Corinthians 6:2–3 KJV 1900
    2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
    We will one day judge the earth, Christians will one day, in the kingdom, rule over the earth and even judge angels (this is likely the judgment of fallen angels). So, if that is what we are meant to do someday, can we not start practicing wise and godly judgment on these little disputes that are going on?
    1 Corinthians 6:5–6 KJV 1900
    5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
    Paul is speaking to their shame because their disputes against each other are a detriment to the cause of Christ and the mission of the church which is to make disciples.
    So what to do? Well, Paul references here that these matters that seem unresolvable between two people should be taken before wise people of the church. But then he says this...
    1 Corinthians 6:7 KJV 1900
    7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
    The “utter fault” means “utter failure.” It is a failure among you, and a great one, that you are suing each other. And then he says this: “It would be better ,better for your testimony, better for the cause of Christ, better for the testimony of the church, to simply take the wrong. In fact, it would be better for you to be defrauded and loose money, possessions, status, rank, or whatever, instead of loosing your testimony.”
    And this “it would be better to take the wrong” gets confused by people. We must make sure that we take God’s word within its full context. If this were the only place in the Bible that talked about how to resolve disputes between Christians, then we could conclude that we either talk it out, or we just allow ourselves to be treated like doormats or just never talk about it and grow resentful toward each other.
    However, that is not what the Bible says about forgiveness.

    Let It Go by Truly Forgiving

    If we are going to let things go, this must involve true forgiveness. True forgiveness does not keep a record of wrongdoing. True forgiveness does not bring back the issue and throw it in the offending party’s face. Letting things go and forgiving mean I do not pass judgment, do not bad-mouth, I do not bring it up any more. It is not ignoring it, it does not mean I put it on the back burner or at the back of my mind. It means I eliminate it completely from my concern. There are some offenses that can be dealt with this way, but many cannot. And if you cannot go on without getting bitter or resentful or antagonistic toward someone, then you have not let it go and you must talk it out.
    So, if someone offends me, I have two options — Talk it out or let it go.
    Many people will say, “I don’t really like confrontation so I am just going to let things go.” But then, they keep a record of every time that person offended them in that way. That is not letting go. That is quite the opposite of letting go, it is piling up. And then, when you just can’t stand it any more, you either unleash it all on the person that has offended you, or you become quietly bitter and resentful. I say quietly, quietly toward them, and then you talk about that person behind their back.
    Typically, the most effective option is to talk it out. Talk it out privately. Talk it out humbly. Seek restoration. You are not just airing grievances, you are not dumping frustrations, you are clearing the air and getting rid of toxicity. You are restoring a relationship.

    I Tried, But It Didn’t Work

    Restoration takes effort on both sides. There will be instances in which you will approach a person to discuss an offense or a sin, and that person will deny, they will shut down, and maybe not even entertain a conversation between the two of you.
    What do you do? When you have tried to talk to the person and they won’t give you the time of day to discuss the issue, when they want to pretend that nothing happened and not talk about it, what do you do?
    Well, you forgive anyway. Forgiveness is not for them as much as it is for you, and we will get into that more next week. But you forgive. You live, as Romans 12:17-18 says.
    Romans 12:17–18 KJV 1900
    17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
    As much as you are able, live peaceably with the person that wronged you. Do not try to give them a “taste of their own medicine.” Be honest in your dealings with them.
    This does not mean that everything goes back as it was before. That friendship may truly be broken or at the very least damaged, and it cannot be fixed by one side only. It takes two. So, until that happens, live peaceably with them and forgive.
    Again, next week we will get into what forgiveness really looks looks like, but that is all the time we have now.
    Last week we covered Isaiah chapter 6. In it, we saw that Isaiah had a vision of God’s glory before he ever became this amazing prophet who revealed so much about God to His people. We need to keep our focus on Jesus if we are ever going to truly deal with differences and offenses in the church.
    It will take us keeping our eyes on Him to suffer the things that disciples need to learn to suffer, and some of those things are personal attacks and offenses, whether intentional or accidental. And we must keep our focus on Jesus if we ever hope to be united as a church.

    Invitation

    This sermon has been intended primarily for Christians, and in a moment, we are going to have an invitation, because forgiveness is a thing that Christians struggle with often. But before I completely close this sermon out and head into the invitation, I want to address those that do not have a personal relationship with God through faith in His son Jesus.
    God demands that those that are His, those that have been adopted into His family, those that are saved be people that forgive. But before He ever demanded that from us, God showed us what it looked like.
    All of us have sinned. We have all done things, said things, and had attitudes and thoughts that are not godly, that are not perfect. We, as Romans 3:23 says, fall short of the glory of God, and we do so miserably.
    That sin, according to the Bible is punishable by an eternal separation from God in a place called the lake of fire. God is a just God and He must abide by His own rules and laws, and that is what His law states. The law states that the only thing that can satisfy that penalty is death and someone on whom His righteous anger is poured out on.
    So, those that have sinned are naturally condemned to die and to suffer God’s wrath being poured out on us for eternity in this lake of fire.
    But, God loved us so much, John 3:16 says, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to come to die on a cross for us so that we would not have to perish, but so that we could have eternal life.
    It is significant that God sent Jesus to die, because Jesus is the only person ever to walk this earth that did not sin. He did not sin because He is God in the flesh, but He died. Something that He didn’t have to do. He died for your sins and mine. While He hung on the cross, God poured out His full wrath upon Jesus, to a point that Jesus, who did not deserve this in the least, cried out because God the Father had forsaken Him.
    And after suffering the wrath of God, Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” and hung his head and died on that cross. What was finished? The payment for sins. He had taken God’s wrath, though he did not deserve it, he had shed his blood, though he didn’t deserve it, He died, though he didn’t deserve to die. He did this to pay for sins, not His own, because Jesus didn’t have any sin of his own, but to pay for our sins. He died. He told everyone that He would die. And that is not a surprise, because everyone dies, but Jesus did something different. He also told people He was God and that He was able to forgive sins. And the sign that this was true was not only that He would die, but that three days later He would rise from the dead. And He did!
    And now, He offers forgiveness of sins to anyone that will believe in Him and receive Him as their savior. He paid all the price and has made it free for us to be forgiven, but you must make that decision for yourself.
    I’ll ask you to bow your heads and close your eyes.
    Are you here today without Jesus? Today is the day of your salvation, if you would believe Him and receive him.
    This next question is for those that are already saved.
    Are you truly forgiving those that have hurt you and sinned against you? Are you able to let that offense go and keep that relationship just as strong as before, or is there a need for you to go an talk it out so that restoration can happen?
    Are you hiding from the offenses, from the hurts? Ignoring them, refusing to talk about them, pushing them to the back of your mind? Eventually, bitterness will set in, and it will take a very long time for you to realize it. It will cause disunity and distancing to happen if you do not set out to purposefully restore.
    How many would say, “Mike, there is someone that I am struggling to forgive.” Or maybe, it is someone that you know you need to talk to about something, but you just cannot bring yourself to do it. Is there anyone like that would say, “Would you pray for me?”

    Life Groups

    1. What, if anything, stood out to you about the sermon? Any questions or comments?
    2. In your own words, what is Jesus’ main objective in Matthew 18:15-17?
    Matthew 18:15–17 KJV 1900
    15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
    3. Why do you think Jesus takes unforgiveness and relational sin so seriously in a church family? What kinds of damage can it do if it’s ignored?
    4. Jesus’ first instruction when someone sins against you is, “Go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” Why is privacy such an important part of this process?
    (Explain the issue of privacy vs. cover-up. Love does cover a multitude of sins, but not all. Some sins need to be exposed and called out, like I Corinthians 5. See also Eric Crawford’s son and the ordeal with their church/school in 2026 in Haslett, TX.)
    5. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul says it is often better to “suffer wrong” or “be defrauded” than to drag disputes before unbelievers. What does that teach us about how highly God values the church’s witness and unity?
    See David and Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 12:13–14 “13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”
    6. Looking ahead, which of these do you most need to grow in:
    going directly and privately to someone who has hurt you,
    being willing to listen when someone comes to you,
    or choosing to let minor wrongs go instead of escalating them?
    7. How might we, as a body, guard against both extremes:
    never addressing sin or hurt (pretending nothing is wrong), and
    over‑reacting in a way that is harsh or public too quickly?
    8. What is one way our church’s witness in Cedar Rapids would be stronger if we consistently practiced humble confrontation, real forgiveness, and careful use of Christian liberty?
    9. This week, ask God to show you one relationship where you need to apply Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 18—not in theory, but in practice.
    If you’ve been hurt, ask: “Lord, do You want me to talk it out humbly and privately, or truly let it go and forgive?” Then obey what He shows you.
    If you may have hurt someone, ask: “Lord, is there anyone I need to seek out and reconcile with?” Then take one concrete step toward them.

      • 1 Corinthians 8:9–13ESV

      • Hebrews 11:6ESV

      • Matthew 18:15–20ESV

      • Matthew 5:23–24ESV

      • Matthew 18:15ESV

      • Psalm 19:12ESV

      • Matthew 18:15ESV

      • Matthew 18:15ESV

      • Galatians 6:1ESV

      • Matthew 18:16ESV

      • Galatians 6:1ESV

      • Matthew 18:17ESV

      • Matthew 18:18–20ESV

      • Ephesians 2:20ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 6:1ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 6:2–3ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 6:5–6ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 6:7ESV

      • Romans 12:17–18ESV

      • Matthew 18:15–17ESV

Good News Baptist Church
http://www.gnbc.church
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