WE HAVE NEW OBLIGATIONS. 11/07/2024

Greetings, Friends, Grace, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a blessing to be here today. I thank God for you. In the past several weeks, we listened to God’s word concerning the inherent oneness of the Church ( Eph 4:1-16). The following week, we looked at it from a practical level. We looked at how Christians are to behave. Our lives are to be different from the world (Eph 4:17-25). Our new lives are to be characterized by holiness and honesty. We are no longer slaves to sin. Jesus set us free from the bonds of sin and death. Because of Jesus and the great work He did to save us by dying on the cross for our sins and redeeming us with his blood. By paying the purchase price demanded. (Prayer).

Therefore, putting away lying, speak every man’s truth with his neighbor, for we are one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil (4:25-27). In Eph 4:32, Paul outlined three New obligations: Kindness, Compassion, and Forgiving.

Kindness.

Jesus was the kindest man who ever lived. In speaking of judgment, He emphasized that we must be kind to one another. We cannot be his friends and remain indifferent to the oppressed, the downtrodden, the abused, and the suffering. He promises that we will be repaid for all we do for Him. (Matthew 10:42).. When looking for a spouse, one wants to find a kind person. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy..A man may have great strength, yet he is kind to others because he controls it. No matter how loudly we profess our religion, if it is not confirmed by kindness, others will call it into question. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have a need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? (1John 3:17).

Compassionate.

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but instead, let him labor, working with his hands the excellent thing he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is pleasing to the use of edifying and may minister grace unto the hearers(Eph 4:26-29). King James calls it “Tenderhearted,” literally of good-heartedness. Jesus had a Tender Heart as well (.Luke 7:36-50). The chapter describes how A pharisee invited Jesus to his house for dinner. And when word went out that He was coming, a woman of the street came and brought with her fragrance oil, and she washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, and she poured her expensive perfume oil on his feet, and the pharrisee and the rest of his quest did gripe about it. Jesus called it to their attention that it is customary for the owner of the house to wash the feet of the guests when they come to his home, but the owner didn’t do that. The woman had sat at his feet and continued to cry, wash his feet with her tears, and pour expensive perfume on his feet. And she kissed them. Jesus told her your sins have been forgiven.

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Gal 6:1-3) When we stumble and fall out of fellowship with God, we need someone to come alongside us to help us realize that we must ask God to forgive us so that our relationship with God will be restored. When we sin, we sever our relationship with God. God takes sin very seriously, so much so that He sent His Son to pay the penalty demanded by His Holiness. God is Holy and must punish Sin, because He sent His Son to pay the price, He has forgiven you because of your confessed belief in Jesus Christ, He waits to restore you. He said, if you confess your sin, I will forgive you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. We are to help, care for, and love one another as our Father in Heaven loves each of us.

The secret of compassion often lies in life’s experiences. When we have walked a mile in someone else’s shoes, we are more understanding and patient with him. A Christian minister says he felt good after stepping on many toes in his first sermon. He asked his pastor what he thought of it. He said he learned a lesson he never forgot. His Pastor told him, “Son, you can’t preach the Gospel with your clinched fist.

The third obligation is Forgiving.
Forgiveness is an obligation; there is no choice. I don’t understand why this is so hard for us to realize. The reason is that we are not willing to do what the word “forgive” means—to send away or dismiss. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matt 6:14,15).   We don’t have God’s view of Sin. We rank sin and label people accordingly. Peter asked Jesus, Master, how many times shall I forgive my brother seven times? Jesus said I tell you seventy times seven and told him a parable of the unmerciful servant.

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him by the guards. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had to be sold as payment of the debt. “At this, the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt, and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he imprisoned the man until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all your debt because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay back all he owed.

In the Lord’s prayer, Matthew 6:12 says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Forgiveness is essential to God; If you are not forgiving others for trespasses they have committed against you, you are not living your life pleasing to God. For God had compassion on you and me by sending His son Jesus to die in our place. Can’t you, because of what Jesus did for you, forgive someone else for what they have done to you? It is what God requires of you.  Being Kind, compassionate, and forgiving is not a weakness. It is a strength that God shares with His people. We are obligated to fulfill what God requires of us as His children.  He set the example and requires no less.

God showed his compassion by sending His Son to die for us. He also showed His kindness by giving us the opportunity to receive from Him the free gift of eternal life. All we have to do is believe that Jesus is his Son and that God sent Him to die on the cross for our Sins. If you do, you will not perish, but you shall be forgiven and receive eternal Life. Don’t let this excellent, wonderful opportunity pass you by. God didn’t do this for nothing; He did it because He loved every one of us.

God Bless You

Rev. Reginals Stevens MPA, BA, BECC