Participants: Dwight Nelson
Series Code: 13SCM
Program Code: 13SCM000016
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00:31 You know, Camp Meeting is a time of blessing, Danny.
00:35 And we each one... It's a very full time 00:40 for those of us who work here. 00:41 But we look forward to these Camp Meetings 00:44 and seeing all these people and hearing the messages 00:48 and the music. George and Tina are here tonight too. 00:50 Isn't that great? George and Tina are on the front row 00:52 all the way from the West Coast coming here. That's right. 00:54 A lot of folk from different states and even different 00:56 countries - yes! Australia, Russia, Canada. Right! 00:59 So this is wonderful getting to meet... It's kind of 01:01 a little pre-heaven meeting - that's right - is what happens 01:05 when you come here. Folks from all over, they come 01:08 and really receive a blessing. 01:10 And we get to hear some really good music. 01:13 And tonight John Lomacang is going to lead us, 01:17 and before he does would you have a prayer for us? 01:20 I will. Heavenly Father, thank you for Your many 01:22 wonderful blessings of life and health and strength. 01:25 Thank you for this the beginning of another beautiful Sabbath day 01:29 that You have given us to set aside just so that we 01:32 could be in Your presence. 01:34 Father, tonight we are praying for a special unction, anointing 01:37 of the Holy Spirit upon Pastor Dwight as he ministers 01:40 to us and for all of us listening - not only those here 01:45 in this audience but literally around the world. 01:47 We know that You know every need, 01:49 You know everything about us. 01:51 And I pray that You will prepare hearts right now 01:53 to be drawn closer to You. 01:55 These things we ask and pray in Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. 01:59 You know, Pastor Dwight is well known 02:03 by the viewers of 3ABN. 02:05 And we probably haven't taken as much time to introduce him 02:09 as we would someone that no one knew. 02:12 But he is the pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church. 02:15 As C.A. says, he is the husband of one wife... 02:21 and a very fine lady. We wish so much that 02:26 she was with him this time. 02:28 But she's going to go with him next week. 02:30 They're going out to Idaho and to Camp Meeting out there. 02:33 Have two wonderful children. 02:35 And as he has told you... a son and a daughter. 02:39 And as he mentioned to you, in October he's going to be 02:42 a grandfather. Can you imagine Dwight as a grandfather? 02:47 His life just begins then. 02:50 It does, doesn't it. I've got 5 of them that came here tonight. 02:52 It's wonderful. Where are your grandchildren? 02:54 They're in classes I think. They're probably here tonight. 02:57 OK. But what I appreciate about Dwight... especially this 03:00 week while he's been here... 03:02 he makes you want to be a Christian. Yes he does. 03:04 Sometimes it seems like you hear things and you say: 03:06 "Man, I just don't know if I can do all of this. " 03:09 Dwight has a love that radiates through him. 03:11 And Jesus says: "I, if I be lifted up 03:14 from this earth, will draw all men unto Me. " 03:16 So we're very thankful for Pastor Dwight Nelson 03:19 that he would come here, and his congregation 03:22 is thousands, so he comes with, you know, our group... 03:25 But we've given him an audience around the world 03:28 tonight. That's right. So we appreciate him so much 03:31 and his love for Jesus. And his sermon tonight is 03:34 Near the Cross: the Sunflower. 03:37 And before he comes Pastor John Lomacang 03:40 is going to sing for us It Is Finished. 04:01 There's a line 04:03 that's been drawn 04:05 through the ages. 04:09 On that line stands an old 04:14 rugged cross. 04:18 On the cross 04:20 the battle still rages 04:26 for the gain of man's soul 04:31 or its loss. 04:36 On one side march the forces 04:40 of evil... 04:44 all the demons and devils 04:49 of hell. 04:53 But on the other 04:55 the angels of glory... 05:01 as they meet 05:04 on Golgotha's hill. 05:10 And the earth shakes 05:12 with the force of the conflict 05:18 as the sun refuses 05:23 to shine. 05:27 For there hangs God's Son 05:30 in the balance. 05:34 And then 05:37 through the darkness 05:39 He cries: 05:44 "It is finished! " 05:45 The battle is over. 05:51 "It is finished! " 05:54 There'll be no more war. 06:00 "It is finished! " 06:03 It's the end of the conflict. 06:08 "It is finished! " 06:11 and my Jesus is Lord! 06:22 Yet in my heart 06:25 a battle still rages. 06:32 Not all the prisoners of war 06:37 have come home. 06:42 There are battles 06:44 of my own making 06:49 for I didn't know 06:53 that the war had been won. 06:58 Then I heard that... 07:02 that the King of the ages 07:07 had fought 07:10 all my battles for me 07:15 and now the victory 07:18 is mine for the claiming 07:23 and now 07:26 praise God I am free. 07:32 Yes, "It is finished! " 07:35 the battle is over! 07:40 "It is finished! " 07:43 and there'll be no more war. 07:49 "It is finished! " 07:52 It's the end of the conflict. 07:57 Oh... "It is finished! " 08:00 and my Jesus is Lord. 08:07 "It is finished! " 08:09 and Jesus 08:14 is Lord. 08:27 Amen! 08:32 Thank you, Pastor John. 08:34 We needed that tonight, didn't we? 08:38 Amen. And as he was singing 08:42 he sings of this dark war that we are all caught up in. 08:47 He sang - I don't remember just how he put it - 08:51 but he sang about those who have fallen in battle. 08:57 And immediately when I'm standing in the wings 09:00 the Spirit brings some faces of some very dear people 09:04 I love and I'm saying: 09:07 "God, don't let them go down in this battle. 09:11 Just save them... save them... save them " 09:17 The good news is, though, 09:20 that at Calvary the war got won. Amen! 09:26 There's still some messy battles and mop-up to do 09:31 on this planet, but oh... John, thank you. 09:35 We needed that: "It is finished! " 09:38 Don't miss tomorrow morning when we will zero in on that 09:41 one line out of the fourth gospel. 09:46 Boy, I've been blessed tonight. 09:47 Amen! Sat out there during this concert. 09:51 Does it get any better than this to welcome the Sabbath? 09:54 Come on... be honest. Does it get any better than this? 09:59 And to think... in heaven we're going to have non-stop 10:02 concert after concert after concert... 10:06 and they're going to even let you and me sing! 10:11 I'm gettin' that song ready. 10:14 They laughed at me in this life 10:16 but they won't laugh in the next life. Amen! 10:20 We'll carry a tune in heaven. Yes we will... yeah. 10:24 And two of the songs tonight in the concert... 10:26 did you notice that? One vocal and the other 10:29 harmonica. 10:32 Near the cross. Near the Cross... our theme. 10:35 We started out Wednesday night which was Thursday night 10:38 in the Passion Weekend. 10:39 We started out with Jesus in the upper room. 10:41 We're going to spend three of our sessions, 10:43 tonight is number 2 of the 3, 10:45 on Friday. And then don't miss tomorrow night 10:48 Sunday. We're looking at that weekend 10:51 and we're asking God: "Please, keep me near the cross. 10:55 Not just for a little Camp Meeting like this. 10:58 Keep me near the cross 24/7 until Jesus comes. " 11:02 That's our prayer. 11:03 So I want to pray with you then plunge into our teaching 11:06 tonight. Dramatic story. 11:08 We'll go to the Word first. Got to set up 11:10 then go to the dramatic story. 11:12 And I am praying that some of you tonight 11:14 will make a decision - 11:17 now it's not the decision you're thinking of - 11:20 but that you will make a decision tonight. 11:22 It will be a hard one. 11:24 But if you don't make it, the other man, 11:29 the other woman, won't make it. 11:31 You make the decision. Listen carefully to Jesus. 11:35 At the cross you make the decision 11:38 and you can be the Healer's instrument 11:43 in restoring what has been broken. 11:46 Let's pray together. Oh God, 11:48 "It is finished! " We praise You. 11:51 In advance we already know how the story ends: 11:54 Calvary is clear... clarion death cry. 11:59 Tonight we're before that death cry. Tonight another word 12:03 from the cross. Let it be crystal clear 12:06 and may there be healings around this earth 12:09 because of our Savior. We pray in His name, Amen. 12:15 Let's get to that story quickly, but first 12:18 the gospel of Luke. Open your Bible to the gospel of Luke. 12:22 So we were in the upper room Thursday night. 12:25 We were in the gospel of John. John 13, the 11th commandment. 12:28 Last night we're in Matthew. 12:30 We're not going to look at Mark because Matthew and Mark - 12:33 the two synoptics - are the closest in their recitation 12:37 of Calvary. But we're going now to Luke... Luke chapter 23. 12:40 I want to pick it up... I love this picture of Jesus 12:43 and I want you to see it. 12:45 Nobody ever preaches on these words, but why shouldn't we 12:48 read them. Luke chapter 23. I'm in the New King James version. 12:52 Glad you brought a Bible. 12:54 You know, if I'm back at Andrews University - 12:56 3,600 kids - I say: "Pull out your phone. 13:00 Pull out your iPad. Let's just read the Word. " 13:02 Oh, you've got your phone. Good. 13:04 Nice choice of a phone by the way. 13:06 All right... Luke chapter 23. Let's pick it up in verse 27. 13:10 "And a great multitude of people followed Jesus 13:14 and women. " A lot of times when we tell the story of Jesus 13:19 the women just get left out. 13:20 They're just marginalized and pushed to the side. 13:23 But they are front and center in Luke. 13:25 Luke will not leave them out. 13:27 "and women who also mourned and lamented Him 13:32 were in that great multitude. " 13:33 Verse 28: "But Jesus turning to them... " 13:37 If I'm going to my death I'm thinking of one person 13:40 on this earth, and that's me. 13:44 I wouldn't have time or energy to think of any other soul. 13:48 But Jesus turns to them... I love this picture. 13:53 "And Jesus says to them: 'Daughters of Jerusalem, 13:55 do not weep for Me 13:58 but weep for yourselves and for your children. ' " 14:02 He's on His way to His execution 14:05 and He tenderly ministers to them. 14:10 There is always somebody else on the mind of Jesus 24/7. 14:16 He spends not a moment in self-reflection. 14:21 He's always focused on others. 14:25 "Daughters of Jerusalem, don't weep for me 14:26 but weep for yourselves and for your children, for indeed 14:29 the days are coming in which they will say: 'Blessed are 14:31 the barren. Blessed are wombs that never bore; 14:34 blessed are breasts that never nursed. ' 14:36 Then they will begin to say to the mountains: 14:39 'Fall on us' and to the hills 'cover us. ' 14:41 For if they do these things in the green wood 14:45 what will be done in the dry? " 14:47 And ladies and gentlemen, as my friend Steve Bohr has been 14:50 teaching here, we are approaching the driest season 14:53 of earth's history. 14:55 The green is gone... it's all dry. 14:58 Verse 32: "There were also two others - 15:02 criminals - led with Him to be put to death. " 15:07 Read a dramatic book written by a survivor of the Holocaust 15:11 named Simon Wiesenthal. 15:13 He died just a few months ago. 15:16 Title of the book: The Sunflower. 15:18 In the book... The opening to the book is his 15:22 telling of that dark and gripping narrative 15:26 when as a boy in that Polish Nazi concentration camp 15:32 one morning on a work detail 15:35 minding his own business when a Polish nurse comes up 15:38 behind him, taps the Jewish boy on the shoulder, 15:41 and then motions to him. Not a word: "You follow me, boy. " 15:46 He obediently follows 15:48 into the Polish hospital up a dark stairway 15:51 down shadowy hallway 15:53 until finally she opens the door to a hospital room. 15:58 He steps inside the room and when his eyes finally 16:01 adjust to the shadows he sees a bed. 16:06 On the bed, somebody lying draped with a sheet 16:11 up to the neck. 16:15 The head is entirely bandaged. 16:19 Four holes... four holes: 16:21 one for the mouth, one for the nose, two for the ears. 16:26 And where the eyes would have been 16:28 yellow-gray stains. 16:32 The nurse slips away 16:36 and young Simon is all alone. 16:39 Now, he picks it up right here: 16:41 "From the bed... " Reading his words now... 16:43 "From the bed I heard a weak, broken voice exclaim 16:47 'Please come nearer... I can't speak loudly. ' 16:51 Now I could see in the semi-darkness 16:53 the figure in the bed more clearly. 16:55 White bloodless hands on the counterpane. 16:58 Head completely bandaged. 17:00 Hesitatingly I sat down on the edge of the bed. 17:03 The sick man perceiving this said softly: 'Please 17:06 come a little nearer. To talk loudly is exhausting. ' 17:09 I obeyed. His almost bloodless hand groped for mine 17:13 as he tried to raise himself slightly in the bed. 17:16 I sat on the bed spellbound. 17:19 I could not take my eyes off of the stricken man 17:21 and the yellow-gray stains on the bandages seemed to me 17:24 to be moving, taking new shapes before my eyes. 17:26 'I have not much longer to live' 17:29 whispered the sick man in a barely-audible voice. 17:32 'I know the end is near. ' " 17:36 What follows is the surreal, almost tortured 17:42 confession 17:44 of this dying Nazi SS soldier. 17:54 "Sympathy on the part of the nurse has found a Jew. 18:00 He has asked for a Jew to be brought to him before he dies. 18:06 He wanted to confess his sins. 18:08 He - a backslidden Christian - wanted to confess his sins 18:14 to a Jew. 18:16 He told the boy he'd only been following orders 18:20 when his commander had insisted that they herd the 150-200 Jews 18:25 into that farmhouse on the Russian front. 18:28 They doused the house with gasoline, 18:30 tossed in some grenades, 18:32 and then stood on the perimeter with their machine guns 18:35 gunning down any who dared to escape. 18:41 Now dying, he pours out his heart 18:45 the nightmares that will not let him go, and now 18:50 he speaks these words: 18:52 'I know what I've told you is terrible. 18:55 In the long nights while I have been waiting for death 18:58 time and again I have longed to talk about it to a Jew 19:01 and beg forgiveness from him 19:03 only I didn't know whether there were any Jews left. 19:07 I know what I am asking is almost too much for you, 19:12 but without your answer I cannot die in peace. 19:16 Will you forgive me? ' 19:20 the bandaged head begs. " 19:25 Young Simon... imagine the boy... 19:28 stands there just stunned in silence, 19:34 the battle inside his young heart raging. 19:38 Wiesenthal later writes: 19:42 "What a contrast between the glorious sunshine outside 19:45 and the shadow of this bestial age here in the death chamber. 19:49 I stood up, I looked in his direction 19:53 at his folded hands. At last I made up my mind 19:58 and without a word I left the room. " 20:04 "Will you forgive me? " 20:11 Wiesenthal, who begins his book with that... 20:14 that heart-breaking narrative, 20:19 twenty-five years later, still haunted by his decision 20:23 not to forgive this pleading Nazi SS soldier... 20:27 Wiesenthal, who by the way miraculously - obviously - 20:31 survived the Holocaust but lost 86 of his family members 20:35 to that tragedy... he ends his narrative with these words: 20:38 "You who have just read this sad and tragic episode 20:41 in my life can mentally change places with me 20:44 and ask yourself the crucial question: 20:46 "What would I have done? " 20:49 Ladies and gentlemen... tonight I ask you. 20:50 You're watching on television right now? 20:52 I'm asking you as well. 20:54 Would you have forgiven him? 20:58 Hmmm? 21:00 If you were a Jew, would you have forgiven him? 21:06 If you were an African-American, 21:10 would you have forgiven? 21:14 If you were the victim of childhood sexual abuse 21:20 by somebody who knew better, 21:24 would you have forgiven him? 21:28 If you were the innocent party in an extramarital affair, 21:33 would you have forgiven him? 21:38 If you're a divorcée, 21:41 would you have forgiven him? 21:47 If you're a parent whose heart was shattered into 1,000 pieces 21:52 when your child ran away, 21:55 would you have forgiven him? 22:08 Keep reading. 22:12 Verse 33: "And when they had come to the place called Calvary 22:19 there they crucified Jesus 22:20 and the criminals - one on the right hand 22:22 and the other on the left. 22:24 Then Jesus said: 22:26 'Father, forgive them 22:30 for they do not know what they do. ' " 22:41 The story of a Jew named Simon Wiesenthal 22:46 pushed up close next to the story of a Jew named 22:50 Jesus of Nazareth... 22:53 when the yellow-stained hospital bed and the red-stained cross 22:59 are juxtaposed, 23:02 what do we do? What shall we do? 23:11 Simon Wiesenthal sent his story 23:14 to 53 distinguished men and women: 23:16 we're talking about theologians, political leaders, writers, 23:19 jurists, psychiatrists, human rights activists, 23:20 Holocaust survivors, 23:21 victims of attempted genocide in Bosnia, Cambodia, 23:24 China, and Tibet. The rest of the book is a collection 23:28 of their responses. 23:32 One professor, Eva Fleischner, who is professor emerita 23:37 of religion at Montclair State University, 23:40 in her reply she notes an interesting division 23:43 of student opinions in her use of Wiesenthal's book 23:46 over the past 20 years in her Holocaust class. 23:49 And she's writing now: "One striking feature of these 23:52 animated discussions has been that almost without exception 23:55 the Christian students come out in favor of forgiveness 23:58 while the Jewish students feel that Simon did the right thing 24:01 by not granting the dying man's wishes. " 24:05 So would you have forgiven 24:11 that pleading Nazi SS soldier? 24:15 If you were a Jew, would you have forgiven? 24:20 If you were an African-American, would you have forgiven? 24:25 Abuse... 24:27 the whole litany of our broken lives. 24:33 Would you forgive? 24:35 That Jesus forgives is clear from the narrative. 24:40 The question from the narrative is: "Do we forgive? " 24:45 We expect Jesus to forgive. 24:48 After all, Jesus is the One who taught us to pray... 24:52 pray it out loud with me: 24:53 "Our Father which art in heaven, 24:56 hallowed be Thy name. 24:59 They kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth 25:03 as it is in heaven. 25:05 Give us this day our daily bread 25:08 and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. " 25:13 And hit the pause button right there. 25:16 We pray that prayer all the time. 25:19 "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. " 25:23 Except the King James didn't get the Greek tense correct. 25:28 It's the aorist tense and it actually reads... 25:31 Jesus' prayer reads like this: 25:33 "Forgive us our sins as we FORGAVE... 25:39 our debtors. " 25:41 It's past. 25:43 "As we have in the past, you go ahead and do in the present. " 25:47 That's what we're praying. 25:48 The only commentary Jesus ever gives to this 25:52 model prayer of all prayers 25:55 is right there in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. 25:57 Just keep your finger right here 'cause we'll come back. 25:59 But go to Matthew chapter 6. 26:03 The Sermon on the Mount... Matthew chapter 6. 26:09 You know this, but I want you to get to the commentary. 26:13 The only line He comments on... 26:17 He had seven petitions in this prayer. 26:20 You know, a lot of people say: "You know when we pray 26:21 you shouldn't be asking God for anything. You ought to just 26:24 say 'thank you, Jesus. ' " Well, that's good counsel 26:26 to say: "Thank you, Jesus" but the model prayer 26:28 seven of those petitions are lined up on the runway 26:31 to take off. Seven times... it's a series of petitions. 26:37 It begins right here... what is this? Verse 9: 26:39 "In this manner therefore pray: 'Our Father in heaven, 26:42 hallowed be Your name. 26:43 Your kingdom come, Your will be done 26:45 on earth as it is in heaven. 26:46 Give us this day our daily bread 26:47 and forgive us our debts as we forgave/forgive our debtors. ' " 26:51 I've always... it actually reads 'as we forgave our debtors. ' 26:54 Verse 13: "And do not lead us into temptation 26:57 but deliver us from evil. " 26:58 There are seven of them; you just repeated seven petitions. 27:01 "Deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom 27:04 and the power and the glory forever. Amen. " 27:06 But too often we stop with the "Amen. " 27:09 He will make only one commentary in His lifetime 27:12 on that model prayer and it immediately follows 27:15 right here. Verse 14: "For if you forgive men... " 27:19 and women... 27:21 "if you forgive men and women their trespasses 27:24 your heavenly Father will also forgive you. " 27:26 "But... " verse 15: 27:27 "if you do not forgive men and women their trespasses 27:31 neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. " 27:38 That is an amazing commentary! 27:40 We prefer not to have to read those words. 27:42 Just seven beautiful petitions: "God, please, seven times over 27:46 give to me. " 27:48 He says: "All right... He will; He will. 27:50 BUT... that line about forgiveness? 27:53 You will only get forgiven 27:58 if you are a forgiver yourself. " 28:01 Why that is... what a grumpy God! 28:04 Kind of mean. I mean "Why are You withholding 28:07 forgiveness from me if I don't forgive somebody? " 28:10 Ladies and gentlemen, He's not being mean. 28:11 He's not being grumpy or cruel. 28:14 He's being logical... He's being utterly fair. 28:17 He's saying: "Hey Dwight, I want to forgive you. 28:19 I'll forgive every sin you bring to Me. 28:21 Bring it to Me. But there's one sin you're not bringing 28:26 to Me. " "What's that, Lord? " 28:28 "You're not bringing to Me an unforgiving heart 28:32 and that's a sin. 28:33 And if you don't bring to Me an unforgiving heart, 28:36 I can't forgive. 28:38 I'll forgive the others but you're still stuck. 28:41 One sin is like them all. 28:43 You still have one... that unforgiving heart. 28:45 I will not... " "Are You kidding? After what 28:47 she said about me? She spread it all over this city. " 28:52 "After what he's done to me? 28:55 Everybody knows. My life is in ruins because of that 28:59 and You're asking me to just OK: forgive, forgive, forgive? 29:02 I'm not going to forgive. " 29:04 Jesus says: "Ah... that's too bad 29:10 because I can't forgive you. " 29:12 He's not being mean. He said: "You've got it in your hand. 29:16 I can't get it out of your fingers. 29:18 You are so bitter, you are so hurt, 29:22 you are so furious with this world and with Me. 29:24 You're furious with the church; you're furious with the school. 29:27 You're furious with your place of work. 29:28 You're furious with your husband; you're furious with 29:30 your wife. You're furious with your family. 29:32 You're furious with your friends. 29:33 You won't let go and I can't forgive you. 29:35 You will die with that sin. " 29:38 "If you forgive others, 29:40 your Father in heaven will forgive you. 29:42 If you don't, He won't. " 29:45 It's God's "Golden Rule of Forgiveness" 29:49 and the only reason it exists is because God is so 29:52 passionately committed to your free choice. 29:56 He said: "I'll let you. You want to be angry? 29:58 You want to spend the rest of your life bitter? 30:01 OK... you can have it. 30:04 I won't take it away, and if I don't take it away 30:05 you're not forgiven. 30:08 I can't... you won't give it to Me. " 30:18 That point is so... so urgent in Jesus' mind, 30:23 by the way, that in Matthew 30:26 He will eventually tell a parable. 30:29 It happened on a day when Peter came to Him 30:32 and Peter said: "Lord, I've just been thinking about 30:34 this forgiveness thing. I mean this is tough stuff 30:36 You're asking of us. But I've been thinking, Lord. 30:39 You know the rabbis say... " based, as it turns out 30:42 an errant interpretation of Amos 1:3, 5... 30:45 "the rabbis say that three forgivenesses is the max 30:51 but Jesus: I am saying seven. 30:57 What if I forgave my brother seven times? 31:01 Would that make You happy? " 31:03 Jesus looks into the face of the big fisherman 31:09 whom He loves with all His heart 31:12 who before the story of Thursday night is over 31:15 will be desperately in need of what he's not willing to give 31:21 more than seven times. 31:24 In front of the whole blooming world 31:28 with every fisherman's oath he can imagine 31:33 Peter will curse the name of Jesus. 31:37 "I do not know this blankety- blank blank man at all. " 31:44 But He tells Peter in advance of that. 31:47 "Pretty good, Pete! Seven times... 31:50 though I say to you seven times seventy. " 31:54 Or some translations say seventy-seven times. 31:56 But ladies and gentlemen, seven times seventy or 77 31:59 it doesn't matter. That just means you go on forgiving. 32:02 No matter how many times your heart has been broken 32:05 and your life has been trashed by the people who knew better. 32:10 By the people who knew better. 32:12 "You don't think she knew what she was doing? " 32:15 "You don't think he knew what he was doing? " 32:18 Of course he knew... of course she knew. 32:24 You don't think the Roman soldiers and the chief priests 32:30 know what they're doing on this awful Friday we now call good? 32:35 You don't think they know? 32:37 Of course they know what they're doing. 32:39 They're driving that nail into the hands of God 32:44 the Creator of this universe... God made flesh. 32:47 Jesus opens His mouth, and the first thing that comes out 32:50 of His mouth is... what is it? 32:53 This prayer... read it again. 32:57 Verse 33: "And when they had come to the place called Calvary 33:00 there they crucified Jesus and the criminals... 33:03 one on the right hand, the other on the left. 33:05 And then Jesus said... 33:07 Read it out loud with me, will you? 33:09 Sort of pretend like you're praying it. 33:12 "Father, forgive them 33:16 for they do not know what they do. " 33:20 What do you mean, Jesus: "They do not know what they do? " 33:23 They know exactly what they're doing. 33:26 But isn't that amazing? He attributes 33:30 their act - their heinous act against Him - 33:34 as done in ignorance. 33:36 "They didn't know what they were doing. 33:38 They don't know, Father, they don't know. " 33:40 "He didn't know... she didn't know. " 33:44 She knew... but the Savior gives the benefit of the doubt 33:51 and says: "Father, Dwight doesn't know what he's doing. 33:55 Forgive him again... please. " 33:59 Isn't that something? 34:01 That's something! 34:06 So Jesus... He tells us... 34:08 He says: "Peter, seventy times seven or seventy-seven. 34:11 Oh, Peter, I want to tell you a story. 34:13 I want to tell you a story about a king 34:16 who hired an accountant one day to come in. 34:19 Bring in the big guns... the CPAs come in for an audit. 34:23 And they're going through the books of the kingdom 34:26 and they come across... 'Can you believe? Is this true? ' 34:30 They pull the calculators out again. 34:33 They calculate it again. One of the king's servants 34:40 owes him more than a lifetime of debt. 34:46 In fact, if you took all of the accumulated taxes of Palestine 34:49 and Idumaea and Judea - all of the taxes at the time of Jesus - 34:53 this servant owes more. 34:55 We're talking about just a little servant who owes 34:58 the universe to the king. 34:59 And the servant comes in... " You ever heard this story? 35:01 You probably haven't heard it. "The servant comes in... 35:03 The servant comes in and the king said: 35:06 'Yo! What do you think I am? 35:10 A nincompoop? 35:12 I can read these books. 35:15 You owe me... you owe me huge. 35:18 It'll take you 20 lifetimes to pay it off, but let's start. ' 35:24 And the servant falls to his face... " And what does the 35:28 servant do? "Please, I beg of you, king. 35:32 I beg of you. " It's what you and I do with God. 35:34 The impossible. "I beg you... give me enough time 35:37 and I'll pay it off. " 35:39 "You know how much time you need? You need 20 lifetimes, 35:42 boy! " "Give me enough time and I'll pay it off. " 35:46 And Jesus tells the story. The king's heart is touched 35:48 by the pathetic plea. 35:52 The ignorant assumption that you can ever pay me off. 35:55 The king's heart is touched. He says: 35:58 "I forgive you. 35:59 Get up... now don't do it again! " 36:04 That servant goes out singing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah! 36:07 Zip-A-Dee-Ay! My, oh my, what a wonderful day! " 36:13 He's floating on air. 36:15 About halfway down the block from the palace 36:19 here comes a buddy of his... a fellow servant. 36:23 "That guy owes me money. " 36:27 The debt ratio is 600,000 to 1. 36:31 OK? 600,000 to 1. 36:35 The other guy owes 20 lifetimes; this guy owes 100 days of wages. 36:40 600,000 to 1. 36:43 Grabbed him by the hair and said: "You pay up, buddy. 36:46 You... Listen, I know you thought we were friends 36:47 but listen: no more. You pay up. " 36:49 The identical language that the first servant uses 36:52 in the presence of the king this servant uses with his buddy. 36:55 He says: "Listen... just give me the time. 36:57 A hundred days... I can do this. " 36:59 And it really is do-able. 37:01 Said: "No, you pay it now. You pay it now, or you 37:04 and your wife and your children are gone. 37:06 You're all in jail until you pay it up. " 37:08 You know the story... throws them in jail. 37:11 The other servants hear it and say: "This is 37:14 absolutely duplicitous! Hypocrisy to the max! " 37:17 They go and tell the king: "You're not going to believe 37:18 this... 600,000 to 1, oh majesty. " 37:22 King called him back in. 37:24 "What were you thinking? 37:27 I just forgave you the universe 37:30 and you won't forgive him? You won't forgive her 37:35 that little? " 37:39 And then Jesus in Matthew 18 makes the identical application 37:45 as He does to The Lord's Prayer. 37:47 "If you forgive, so your Father in heaven will treat you. " 37:52 "If you forgive others, He'll forgive you. " 37:53 "If you won't forgive your fellow man, fellow woman, 37:56 neither will you be forgiven. " 38:00 Wow! 38:05 Luke 22:33: "And when they had come to the place called Calvary 38:12 there they crucified Him and the criminals - 38:15 one on the right hand and the other on the left. 38:19 And then Jesus said: 'Father... ' " 38:22 They're nailing Him to the cross. 38:24 "Father, forgive them 38:27 for they do not know what they do. " 38:34 Want to read a stirring commen- tary on this radical prayer? 38:38 Desire of Ages. Every Bible I have 38:41 on the top of the page for this prayer 38:44 I have scribbled these words. Desire of Ages page 745: 38:48 see if I can read it in this light. 38:51 "That prayer of Christ... " Listen to this: 38:54 "That prayer of Christ for His enemies 38:58 embraced the world. " 39:01 The whole world. "It took in every sinner 39:05 that had lived or should live from the beginning of the world 39:09 to the end of time. " Now listen: 39:11 "Upon all rests the guilt of crucifying the Son of God. " 39:16 How many is all as far as this room and all the viewers 39:19 on television are concerned? How many is all? 39:22 How big is all? 39:25 ALL. Is all pretty much all? 39:27 All. "Upon all rests the guilt of 39:30 crucifying the Son of God. " And now the last line: 39:33 "To all forgiveness is freely offered. " 39:40 Jesus forgave the whole planet on the cross. 39:45 Forgave everybody. 39:48 Forgave EVERYBODY. 39:51 We're all guilty of that crimson stain. 39:56 We're all forgiven. 39:58 That prayer: "Father, forgive them. They did not know 40:00 what they were doing... " That prayer 40:02 was for Dwight and you! 40:06 This prayer is for all. Upon all rests the guilt. 40:09 To all forgiveness is freely offered. 40:14 "Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. " 40:26 The actual meaning of the Greek word 40:30 aphiemi in the Greek - in the original language - 40:34 for forgive... it means to release. 40:38 If it's a debt, you release the debt. 40:41 "I know you owe me... I release you; 40:44 the debt no longer stands. " 40:46 It means to let go... to let go. 40:53 I'm ashamed to tell you that I know two grown men 40:59 who got into a little spat. 41:02 Some tiny little nothing 41:06 that they allowed to get bigger and bigger. 41:10 They were "buds... " They did everything together. 41:15 Got into this spat. 41:19 They won't talk to each other. 41:21 Their wives are kept apart 41:25 till they quietly get together. 41:31 Two grown men. 41:34 And I thought "Well I'll try a little shuttle diplomacy 41:38 back and forth. " Unbelievable. 41:43 How old did you say you were? 41:47 We laugh; we laugh. 41:51 We're no better... we're no better. 41:55 Sometimes that line is drawn so deeply in the sand 42:00 that I'm too proud now to ever step over it again. 42:04 The only way that line will ever be crossed 42:07 is if I swallow my ego - if I swallow my pride - 42:10 and I say: "OK, I was wrong for letting this go this long. 42:15 I step across the line. I release... 42:17 Aphiemi... I release you. 42:19 I release the debt you owe me. 42:22 I will never in my mind bring it up again. 42:25 I will never to you bring it up again. " 42:27 "Father, forgive him. He didn't know what he was doing. " 42:30 "Father, forgive her. She didn't know what she was doing. " 42:33 "I release you! " 42:37 That's forgiveness. 42:40 I got an e-mail from one of our viewers 42:45 just last year. 42:48 Don't know in connection with what she was writing me 42:51 but I thought this was something here. 42:55 Dear Pastor Nelson. Thank you for your prompt reply. 42:58 Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 43:00 Regarding forgiveness... " So she gets into this. 43:03 "Regarding forgiveness, I read something that went like this: " 43:05 I thought this was choice. 43:07 "I read something that went like this: 43:09 "Those who are the first to apologize are the bravest. " 43:14 True... takes a man to be a woman 43:19 and cross that line. 43:22 I just wanted to see if you're awake at this hour of the night. 43:25 I'm not sure which time zone you're in, but I just wanted to 43:27 make sure you were there. All right. 43:29 You know, it takes strength, it takes guts. 43:32 It takes guts to forgive somebody... 43:35 especially when they're not asking. "I don't need your 43:37 forgiveness. " "Those who are the first 43:43 to apologize are the bravest. Those who are the first 43:46 to forgive are the strongest. 43:50 And those who are the first to forget are the happiest. " 43:55 Isn't that good? Oh, I thought that was very good. 43:58 Yeah... of course it's hard, 44:02 but you go to bed at night and sleep like a baby 44:07 'cause you let it go. You just release... 44:11 You said: "That debt is no more mine. 44:14 You don't owe me a penny. " 44:17 For some of you, it is a financial debt that is owed you 44:21 and it's a tough thing to let that go 44:25 'cause you're never going to get it anyway 44:27 but you're going to hold it and kill yourself right here. 44:30 You're going to hold it and kill yourself. 44:31 You're going to die a bitter old man. 44:34 Bitter! Mad! 44:38 "It was wrong... " And it IS wrong. 44:41 And you're right it's wrong. 44:43 It was wrong to nail the God of this universe to a cross. 44:46 That's terribly, terribly, terribly wrong. 44:50 "Father, I plead with you: 44:53 forgive them. They don't know what's up... 44:58 They don't know what they're doing. " 45:00 "Do not hold this against them in their account. 45:05 Release the debt; I release them. " 45:07 "Father, I release them. " 45:08 When Christ forgives you - that's what He does - 45:11 The debt is forever gone. 45:13 You'll be singing Zip-A-Dee-Dooh-Dah too. 45:15 Just gone... it's just gone. 45:17 Vanished! There's not a book He pulls out and says: 45:20 "Oh, by the way, remember when I did this for you? " 45:23 Buried... Micah 7 says it's buried... He takes our sins 45:26 and buries them in the depths of the sea. 45:30 Ah... One of the respondents 45:35 to Simon Wiesenthal's letter 45:40 "Hey, would you mind responding? " Was the well-known 45:42 rabbi Harold Kushner. You remember Harold Kushner? 45:45 Why Bad Things Happen To Good People. You remember that rabbi? 45:47 Very well known American rabbi. 45:49 He wrote his response and I want to share it 45:51 'cause he tells a story in it. Here it is. 45:53 He... In his essay he tells the story of a woman 45:55 in his congregation who comes to visit him. OK? 45:58 So she's coming to visit him... the rabbi. 46:01 "She is a single mother. " I'm reading his words now. 46:03 "She is a single mother, divorced, working to support 46:05 herself and 3 young children. 46:06 She says to me: 'Since my husband walked out on us 46:09 every month is a struggle to pay our bills. 46:11 I have to tell my kids we have no money to go to the movies 46:14 while he's living it up while his new wife in another state. 46:17 How can you tell me to forgive him? ' 46:19 You could feel it. I answered her: 46:24 'I am not asking you to forgive him because what he did 46:27 was acceptable. It was not! It was mean, 46:30 it was selfish. But I am asking you to forgive because 46:33 he does not deserve the power to live in your head 46:37 and turn you into a bitter, angry woman. ' " 46:40 Amen! 46:43 "He has authority and control over you by your permission. " 46:49 The rabbi goes on: "I'd like to see him out of your 46:52 life emotionally as well as completely as he is out of it 46:55 physically. But you keep holding on to him. 46:58 You're not hurting him by holding on to that resentment... 47:00 you are hurting yourself. " 47:05 Little book Christ Object Lessons. 47:07 Very perceptive. "Nothing... nothing 47:12 can justify an unforgiving spirit. " 47:16 Nothing... No hurt! 47:20 No wrong... no pain. 47:23 Just go to the cross: it doesn't get worse than that. 47:28 And Jesus prayed: "Father, forgive them. 47:34 They don't know what they're doing. " 47:38 Wow! 47:42 Well at the end of the story... 47:44 end of the story... 47:50 is a story told by one of the great prison wardens 47:54 of the West: Kenyon J. Scudder. 47:56 He used to love to tell this story. 47:58 I'm just going to read it to you. 48:00 About the time a friend of his... OK, so the warden has 48:03 a friend. A friend of his was on a train 48:06 and noticed that the young man sitting next to him 48:08 was feeling very low. 48:11 What happened was unforgettable. The young fellow confessed 48:15 that he was a convict just released from a distant 48:17 penitentiary. I'm going to get up early tomorrow and go a 48:20 prison and preach before we're together at 11 in the morning. 48:27 The young man confessed that he was a convict just released 48:30 from a distant penitentiary. His whole life had cast 48:32 such a dark shadow over his family and they had seemed 48:35 to suffer such shame from his criminal record 48:38 that he had lost almost all contact with them. 48:41 He couldn't help hoping against hope, however, 48:43 that they had forgiven him 48:45 and that the almost-dead silence of many years meant 48:49 that they were too poor or perhaps too ill 48:51 or illiterate to write. 48:53 So before his prison sentence was up 48:56 he had devised this plan to find out how they felt. 48:58 One that would not be too hard on them or him. 49:02 He wrote a letter home explaining that he would be 49:04 on this train which passed their little farm 49:07 at the outskirts of town. 49:08 If they could forgive him, they were to hang a white 49:11 ribbon on the old apple tree near the tracks. 49:13 If it was not hanging there when he came by, 49:15 he would not bother them ever, ever again. 49:18 As the train approached the familiar landmarks of his 49:21 boyhood days the suspense became more than he could bear 49:24 and he changed seats with his companion 49:27 who watched out the window for him. 49:29 In a minute the tree was in sight 49:31 and eyes bright with sudden tears his companion placed his 49:35 hand on the boy's knee and whispered hoarsely: 49:38 "It's all right... the whole tree is white 49:42 with ribbons. " 49:48 Isn't that beautiful? Amen! 49:51 It's the story of Calvary. 49:53 Ladies and gentlemen, tonight the whole tree 49:56 is white with ribbons. 50:00 You can come home! 50:01 Have you been running? You can come home! 50:04 Have you been afraid? You've been ducking 50:09 when God comes around? 50:11 You can come home... you've been forgiven. 50:14 You have not shamed God. 50:16 You've only awakened in His heart a longing 50:19 to draw you, draw you, draw you 50:24 back into His embrace. 50:26 "Father, please, forgive them; 50:30 they didn't know what they were doing. " 50:33 Pray the prayer of the cross 50:36 and you will sleep tonight and every night until Jesus comes 50:41 in quiet peace. 50:43 The tree is covered with ribbons. 50:49 Let's pray. 50:51 Oh God... oh God... 50:56 the picture of Calvary 50:59 stained crimson with the blood of the Lamb of God 51:05 covered... wrapped in white ribbons tonight. 51:13 How can we ever be the same again 51:16 with the truth of that one prayer: 51:21 "Father, forgive him... 51:25 Father, forgive her 51:28 she didn't know what she was doing. " 51:32 Father, we can't come to the end of this moment, 51:34 we can't come to this Calvary moment and not respond. 51:38 And so while every head is still bowed in prayer 51:40 and every heart with a tear in your eye perhaps 51:43 lifted up to heaven, I want to make two appeals tonight. 51:48 These are very specific appeals. 51:49 Appeal #1: If you need to come to the Savior tonight 51:54 and let Him wrap that white all around you and take 51:58 those guilty rags and throw them away, 52:02 you need to come back to the Savior tonight, 52:09 I want to invite you to stand. 52:11 And by standing you're saying: 52:13 "God, I receive that forgiveness. 52:19 I don't want to run. I don't want to duck when You come 52:22 'round. I want to be all Yours. 52:28 I want to be washed clean. 52:31 Jesus, that prayer took me in. 52:35 You're going to forgive me tonight? 52:37 Then I'm coming... I am Yours tonight. " 52:42 If you want to send that prayer to heaven, I want you to stand 52:46 to your feet please. 52:49 Jesus sees you stand. 52:53 He knows your heart. 52:54 He knows... 52:59 He is so grateful that you have given Him the reason - 53:04 now permission - that sets you free. 53:09 God bless you. 53:12 Now that's a tough prayer 53:15 but this other prayer is just as hard if not harder. 53:19 I want to make an invitation tonight 53:21 to every man, woman, and young adult, teenager here 53:25 and everyone who's watching right now on television. 53:28 I want to make an invitation. 53:31 Is there somebody in your life that needs to be forgiven 53:35 tonight? Somebody that needs to hear from you? 53:43 Maybe an e-mail... maybe a phone call. 53:47 Maybe just a walk across an auditorium. 53:50 Maybe just a hand across a bed. 53:54 Is there somebody tonight 53:57 who needs to hear you say: 54:00 "I forgive you. 54:02 I release the debt. 54:05 You don't owe me... you don't owe me. 54:12 I've let it go. " 54:14 That somebody may not write back to you. 54:16 That somebody may not hug back to you. 54:18 That somebody may not talk back to you. 54:23 But take the Jesus step. 54:26 They didn't talk back to Him at the cross. 54:28 Some it finally sunk in days later. 54:32 But that's OK. You take the Jesus step; 54:35 make that contact. 54:36 If there's somebody in your life tonight 54:41 and you need the Spirit of Jesus to give you Holy Spirit 54:45 power to pray His prayer and to release them, 54:49 I'm going to invite you to stand to your feet. 54:51 Nobody knows the story. Who cares? 54:55 But you need this. You need this physical 54:58 affirmation that I am going to act for Jesus 55:01 on your prayer at Calvary. 55:04 I want to invite you to stand to your feet 55:09 and say: "Jesus, give me that grace. 55:12 Give me that courage. 55:14 Give me Your mind and Your heart for this person, 55:16 Christ Jesus, and I'll release her. 55:20 I'll release him and I'll trust You. " 55:25 Any others tonight? 55:29 You need to come to Jesus for His radical, 55:33 cleansing forgiveness 55:35 or you need His courage and strength 55:38 to forgive in His name those who must hear from you 55:43 before they die... before you die. 55:46 This is the hour. God bless you. 55:54 And then to the others here 55:57 would you like to dedicate yourself tonight 56:01 to be like Jesus and to live the spirit of forgiveness 56:04 wherever you go for the rest of your life. 56:07 Would you stand to your feet as well? 56:10 And sing with me, will you? 56:14 Jesus keep me 56:18 near the cross. 56:22 There a precious 56:26 fountain. 56:30 Free to all 56:33 a healing stream 56:37 flows from Calvary's 56:42 mountain. 56:46 In the cross, 56:51 in the cross, 56:55 be my glory 56:59 ever. 57:04 Till my raptured soul 57:10 shall find 57:13 rest 57:14 beyond 57:16 the river. |
Revised 2014-12-17