Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW190014A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Family Worship. 01:13 We just wanna say Happy Sabbath 01:15 and we're so glad 01:17 that you are joining us for worship. 01:19 This is probably my favorite program to do 01:23 because it's just laid back 01:25 we get into the Word of God. 01:27 And we hope that you will enjoy this study tonight. 01:31 Hope you've got your Bible there. 01:32 We're going to talk 01:34 about the Kingdom Law of Reciprocity. 01:37 It's something important that we should consider. 01:40 But we have family around the table. 01:44 I'm Shelley Quinn. 01:45 I'm JD. 01:47 You wanna introduce the rest? 01:48 Oh, most certainly, 01:49 I love my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 01:51 We have Jason over here. 01:53 We have Gary, and we have Jill. 01:56 We have Shelley and myself. 01:58 And welcome to our table. 02:00 Yes. Amen. 02:01 And hopefully, we'll be going to the Lord's Table to be fed. 02:05 Honey, do you wanna open with prayer? 02:07 Yes. 02:08 Father, as we come to You once again, 02:10 we just wanna thank You, Lord, for Your many blessings. 02:13 Father, we look to You for all. 02:16 And, Father, as we just talk about the topic of reciprocity. 02:20 Father, we cannot even go anywhere 02:23 without thinking about You and how You are in our life. 02:26 And, Father, how all things should revolve around You. 02:29 So, Father, be with us, take care of us, 02:31 be with our family members, 02:33 we give You praise and glory in Jesus' name, amen. 02:36 Amen. Amen. 02:38 You know, aren't you glad it's Sabbath? 02:40 Amen. Amen. 02:41 When the Sabbath rolls around, it's like you can, 02:43 you know, the Sabbath hours open 02:45 and you can just take a deep breath, 02:47 and relax, and just enjoy a time of refreshing 02:52 in the presence of the Lord. 02:53 Amen. 02:55 And so we're going to start, 02:56 we've got one more person we need to introduce 02:59 and that is Summer Boyd 03:00 who is going to be on the piano for us. 03:03 We're going to sing a hymn 03:06 out of the hymnal number 590 03:09 "Trust and Obey." 03:10 And we want you to join in with us, 03:13 drown us out if you will. 03:16 We gonna make a joyful noise to the Lord. 03:23 When we walk with the Lord 03:27 In the light of his word 03:32 What a glory he sheds on our way! 03:38 While we do his good will 03:41 He abides with us still 03:45 And with all who will trust and obey 03:51 Trust and obey 03:55 For there's no other way 03:58 To be happy in Jesus 04:03 But to trust and obey 04:07 But we never can prove 04:11 The delights of his love 04:15 Until all on the altar we lay 04:21 For the favor he shows 04:25 And the joy he bestows 04:29 Are for them who will trust and obey 04:35 Trust and obey 04:38 For there's no other way 04:42 To be happy in Jesus 04:47 But to trust and obey 04:52 And I love that song. 04:54 Amen. Amen. 04:55 And thank you, Summer, for playing for us. 04:58 And she is such a precious thing in set. 05:00 Amen. 05:01 Actually, you're the one 05:03 who taught her to play the piano. 05:05 That's right. 05:06 I'm trying to think if she was my very first. 05:08 Were you my very first piano student, Summer? 05:10 She was my very first piano student 05:11 and she broke me. 05:13 And you could say because I was scared to death. 05:15 I remember thinking I don't know how to do this. 05:17 And she was such a great pianist. 05:19 In fact, as I taught later 05:21 parents would come and say, 05:23 why isn't my kid playing like Summers, 05:25 so she kind of sets a standard. 05:27 She did and she set a high standard. 05:31 Okay, tonight we're talking about reciprocity, 05:36 and that it is a kingdom law. 05:39 And there's so many scriptures in the Bible 05:42 that indicate reciprocal actions 05:47 and to reciprocate simply means 05:50 that you respond to a gesture 05:54 or an action 05:55 with a corresponding gesture or action. 06:01 It's, you know, you've heard the saying what goes around, 06:03 comes around. 06:05 That's kind of 06:07 it's a mutual exchange, reciprocity. 06:10 And I wanted to set a little foundation for this 06:14 because I think it all has to do with covenant. 06:18 Amen. 06:19 And first, let me read the most interesting scripture. 06:24 Turn to 2 Chronicles 15:2. 06:30 2 Chronicles 15:2, 06:32 "The Spirit of the Lord has come on Azariah. 06:35 And he goes out to meet Asa. 06:37 And he says, 06:39 'Hear me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. 06:43 The Lord is with you 06:45 while you were with Him. 06:48 If you seek Him, 06:50 He will be found by you, 06:52 but if you forsake Him, 06:55 He will forsake you.' " 06:57 So can you see? 07:00 Does that look like reciprocity to you? 07:03 There's a reciprocal action. 07:05 Anybody else want to jump in 07:07 on the definition of reciprocity? 07:10 Your thought? Well, it's a mutual exchange. 07:12 Yeah. 07:13 You know, there's maybe cause effect 07:15 or whatever it could be, 07:16 you know, but it's a back and forward. 07:19 Something that stood out to me 07:21 when I was studying this. 07:23 And I don't know 07:24 if it works with the definition of reciprocity. 07:26 But as I look and see the reciprocal relationship 07:29 we have with God the Father 07:30 and how He gifts to, give to us, right? 07:35 And then we respond, 07:37 but even our response is a gift. 07:40 Amen. I mean, it's incredible. 07:42 In that sense, it's not even truly balanced, reciprocal, 07:45 right? 07:46 Because He gives to us, 07:48 and then even for me 07:49 to respond back to Him in repentance 07:51 or me to respond back in whatever. 07:53 It's a gift from Him to respond back. 07:56 So to me that's it's beautiful. 07:58 It is beautiful. 07:59 But I think it all comes down to the idea, 08:02 to me what reciprocity 08:04 when we look at the kingdom law of reciprocity. 08:07 God is a covenant maker. 08:09 God is a covenant keeper. 08:11 When we enter into covenant with God, 08:15 all of the promises are made by God. 08:19 All He asks of us, 08:22 the reciprocal action is that we receive, 08:26 and then that we walk in covenant loyalty. 08:31 And that is the... 08:33 Because of our covenant love for Him, 08:36 we love Him because... 08:38 He first loved us. He first loved us. 08:40 So and Jesus said, 08:42 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 08:45 So we walk in obedience. 08:47 That's this covenant idea 08:51 is that God makes all the promises. 08:53 And as you said, Jill, that's perfect. 08:56 Everything that happens to us is by His grace, 08:59 even obedience. 09:00 Absolutely. 09:02 So God makes the promises, 09:04 we step in and just say, 09:06 yes, I'll receive salvation by grace, 09:08 and I'm just so grateful, 09:10 Lord, I'm gonna let you change me. 09:13 And we fall in love with Him. 09:16 And then we walk in obedience, 09:20 not to save ourselves, 09:21 but because we love Him. 09:24 Now there is this kingdom principle. 09:28 And it's very well seen in Daniel 7:9. 09:32 The way I say it 09:34 and it kind of ties into 2 Chronicles 15:2 09:38 that we just read. 09:40 But the way I look at it 09:42 is God keeps covenant 09:47 with those who keep covenant with Him. 09:50 That's the reciprocity. 09:52 So let's look at. 09:53 Jill, you want to read Deuteronomy 7:9? 09:56 Oh, I was in Daniel. 09:57 I though 09:58 where are we getting reciprocity in Daniel. 10:00 Did I say Daniel? 10:01 No doubt. No doubt. Yeah. 10:03 Okay, so Deuteronomy, what? 10:04 Deuteronomy 7:9. 10:07 Got it. 10:08 "Therefore know that the Lord your God, 10:10 He is God, the faithful God 10:12 who keeps covenant 10:14 and mercy for thousand generations 10:16 with those who love Him and keep His commandments." 10:19 Okay, what's the reciprocal action? 10:23 We love Him and keep His commandments. 10:26 He's gonna keep all His promises. 10:29 He keeps covenant and mercy forever 10:31 a thousand generations, 10:32 and we love Him and keep His commandments. 10:34 Yeah. 10:35 But yet He's the one who gives us the love. 10:37 And He's the one who enables the commandment keeping. 10:39 That's just beautiful. He does all the heavy lifting. 10:41 It does say, does all the heavy lifting. 10:43 So, you know, 10:45 when God announced a covenant of grace with Abraham, 10:49 and that's, you know, I mean, that's obvious, 10:51 like, well, he announced it in Genesis 3:15. 10:54 But we know that Abraham believed God, 10:57 it was credited to him as righteousness. 11:00 So that's righteousness by faith, 11:02 which is the only kind of righteousness there is. 11:05 But people will say, 11:08 "Okay, I'm saved by grace through faith. 11:10 I don't have to worry about obedience." 11:12 But it's interesting. 11:14 If you look at Genesis 26:5, 11:17 when God renewed the covenant with Abraham son Isaac, 11:23 why did he renew it? 11:25 Because Abraham had kept covenant with him. 11:28 Genesis 26:5, 11:31 it says, because Abraham obeyed me kept my charge, 11:36 my covenants and my command. 11:38 So we know that Jesus says to us, 11:43 in 1 John 2:5, Gary, you wanna read that one? 11:45 1 John 2:5. 11:47 "But whoever keeps His Word, 11:50 truly the love of God is perfected in him. 11:52 By this we know that we are in Him." 11:55 So what's the reciprocal action? 11:58 We keep the word and what happens? 12:01 He perfects love in our heart. 12:02 He perfects love in our heart 12:04 because that's what His word is all about. 12:07 His character is love. 12:08 So, to me, that's just the idea 12:14 'cause everything else we're gonna be looking 12:15 at are promises of God. 12:17 2 Corinthians 1:20 says, 12:19 "All of God's promises are yes and amen for us, 12:22 in Christ Jesus." 12:24 We are new covenant Christians. 12:26 But God keeps covenant with those 12:28 who keep covenant with Him. 12:31 His love is unconditional. 12:33 But His promises are conditional on obedience. 12:37 So... 12:39 There's a temptation for people 12:40 to look at the subject of reciprocity and say, 12:42 well, you're just doing it to get something. 12:44 In fact, isn't that what Satan accused the Job? 12:47 Oh, that's good. 12:49 That's a good thought. Yeah, that is. 12:50 So what is it that we're really talking about 12:52 what type of reciprocity? 12:54 I came across three different types of reciprocities, 12:58 general reciprocity, 13:00 balanced reciprocity, and negative reciprocity. 13:03 General, balanced... 13:04 General, balanced, and negative. 13:06 In general, sorry, generalized. 13:08 Generalized actually has elements of altruism, 13:11 where you do it not to get anything in return. 13:14 But it always comes back to you. 13:16 Yes. Okay. 13:17 That would be generalized. 13:18 And then balanced is when 13:20 you're, it's equal, you give something 13:22 and you expect something in return. 13:24 Sometimes in modern societies, 13:26 excuse me, people give gifts 13:27 and so they give a gift and expect the gift in return. 13:30 And it has to be the same size gift. 13:31 Exactly. 13:34 Have your thought that, like, oh, they gave a big gift, 13:36 I better give something similar as you feel almost guilty. 13:39 Yes. 13:40 So you feel like it has to be balanced? 13:41 It does. 13:43 And then a negative one would be 13:44 as where one party attempts to get more 13:46 out of the exchange than others. 13:47 And I think, 13:48 I think that's what Satan was accusing Job of was, 13:51 well, he's only doing it because You blessed him. 13:54 So I think, you know, it'd be good to develop that. 13:57 You know, what is reciprocity as far as the positive aspects, 14:00 you know, do we do it just to get God's blessings? 14:04 Yeah, that's a good point. 14:06 Because a lot of people feel like you give to get, 14:11 and we don't always get in return, 14:14 like when, what is it? 14:15 Luke 6:38 says, "Give, and it will be given to you, 14:18 good measure, pressed down, shaken together." 14:21 But what, you know, 14:23 just because maybe I'm generous toward the poor, 14:26 benevolent, doesn't necessarily mean it 14:29 comes back to me that way. 14:32 But I do believe God sees and blesses, 14:34 and it may be opportunity, 14:36 your harvest could be opportunities, 14:38 it could be all kinds of things. 14:39 Yeah. 14:40 I think everything that we do 14:42 should be motivated by love. 14:43 Amen. 14:45 We shouldn't do things in order to get something. 14:47 Amen. 14:48 In fact, it speaks about that in the Bible. 14:49 I think it's somewhere in Matthew, 14:51 I'm gonna paraphrase 14:52 'cause I don't know exactly where it is. 14:55 But it's something 14:56 along the lines of inviting somebody. 14:59 You don't invite somebody to your house to eat 15:01 or something because they're rich, 15:03 and they can return the favor... 15:05 You do it out of the, you know, 15:07 the love aspect. 15:10 So we shouldn't give to get, 15:13 you know, and even when we do 15:16 give in terms of like, 15:18 giving to God and all that stuff, 15:20 He always out gives us, 15:22 you know, we can never out give God. 15:24 You know, and let me ask you who's trying? 15:29 You know, it's an amazing concept 15:30 'cause you think about in a marriage. 15:32 I think some marriages are based 15:34 on this negative reciprocity, right? 15:36 One person has taken advantage of someone else. 15:38 Some are based on balance, 15:40 you get 50, I'm gonna give 50 15:42 and you're both miserable. 15:44 But if you think about a marriage 15:45 based on this general, you call it the generalized, 15:48 more altruistic, 15:49 where you give 100%, you give everything. 15:52 That's good. 15:53 And if the other person has the same concept, 15:56 they want to give everything too, 15:58 I mean, what happiness in that. 16:00 And you're not giving to get, 16:02 you're giving out a love 16:04 because you love the person. 16:07 And what I've learned dealing with that, 16:08 it's not always equal, 16:10 lots of times it has to be learned. 16:12 And you're very fortunate 16:13 if you find that special person or that friend, 16:17 or who you work with that you do have like values 16:21 because it may be that your partner, 16:25 whether it be your husband, or your wife, 16:28 that they have the right motivation 16:34 because they do have a loving heart. 16:37 And it might be that their mate 16:39 because of the consistency of their mate, 16:42 then they can catch up. 16:44 And the thing that I like about today's particular lesson 16:48 that I caught on later, 16:50 is that we're dealing with spiritual reciprocity. 16:54 Because coming out the business field, 16:57 you think about the financial reciprocity, 17:00 don't you give because you are gonna receive, 17:02 you work hard 17:04 because of to receive, 17:05 but on the spiritual aspect, 17:07 boy, the rules are totally different. 17:09 Yeah. 17:11 He loves us because we love Him. 17:13 He loved us first, and that's why we loved Him. 17:15 Yeah. 17:16 So the golden rule actually, 17:17 is the perfect definition of reciprocity. 17:19 Exactly. 17:20 That's good. The what? 17:22 The golden rule. Absolutely. 17:23 Perfect definition of reciprocity. 17:24 Absolutely. 17:26 And speak the golden rule for some who don't know it. 17:27 Oh, I always tell my kids I have modified, 17:29 it says treat others like you wanna be treated basically. 17:32 Do unto others 17:34 as you would have them do unto you. 17:35 Amen. Amen. 17:36 But see, when you talk about covenant, 17:39 it is generalized. 17:41 God is altruistic. Absolutely. 17:44 He's providing everything. 17:47 And it is not, you know, 17:49 some people will get the covenant 17:51 is a contract, but it's not. 17:53 And the reason I can say 17:55 that with absolute 100% certainty 17:58 is when 70 Hebrew scholars 18:02 translated the Old Testament 18:05 into the book of the first six books 18:08 of "The Law of Moses," 18:12 when they translated that into Greek, the Septuagint. 18:17 Every time there's two words for covenant, 18:20 Diatheke and Sintheke. 18:23 Diatheke is like a will, 18:25 when one person is the benefactor, 18:29 giving all. 18:31 Sintheke, that's where we get synthesize is a contract 18:36 when you got two or more parties 18:37 where this is your part of the agreement, this is mine. 18:40 I'll do mine, you do yours. 18:42 But every single time they refer to God's covenants. 18:48 It's Diatheke. 18:49 It's a will. It's powerful. 18:51 Isn't that powerful? 18:52 So all that God is asking of us? 18:56 See, we don't obey to get. 18:59 We're just proven our loyalty to Him, if we love Him, 19:04 we walk in obedience. 19:06 And that's what He looks for. 19:08 Yeah, that's like you ever hear people say, 19:11 why do you do the right thing? 19:12 You do the right thing 19:13 'cause it's the right thing to you, 19:15 you know, not because you expect some kind of reward 19:16 or something like that. 19:18 You know, you find $500 that's not yours somewhere. 19:21 Why did you turn it in? 19:23 Well, 'cause it's the right thing to do. 19:25 Amen. 19:27 Motive makes all the difference. 19:28 Yeah. 19:29 You know, it's why we do what we do. 19:31 I think about Malachi, 19:32 Greg and I talked about this a lot. 19:33 And, you know, the tithe promise, 19:35 you know, he says, "Prove me now, 19:36 bring all the tithes into the storehouse, 19:38 and prove me now if I will not open up 19:40 the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing." 19:42 So Greg and I talk about that. 19:43 Does that mean every time you return tithe, 19:46 you're gonna get a financial blessing? 19:48 No. 19:49 But it does mean that God blesses your life 19:52 in manifold ways. 19:54 Sometimes the tires last a little longer on the cars 19:57 or the children of Israel, their sandals did not wear out, 20:00 right, in the wilderness. 20:01 So there are different blessings. 20:03 Sometimes the blessings are joy and peace and the Holy Spirit. 20:06 So there are different blessings 20:08 to be poured out. 20:10 Amen. 20:11 Spiritual blessings in response. 20:13 Amen. Amen. Excellent. 20:15 Jay, you had something that you wanted to talk 20:18 about from Matthew, I think. 20:20 Yes. 20:21 Matthew 6:33. 20:24 And it says, "But seek first the kingdom of God 20:27 and His righteousness, 20:28 and all these things shall be added to you." 20:32 To me, that speaks the priorities. 20:33 Wow! Yeah. 20:34 You know, that speaks to prioritizing your life, 20:37 you know, you shouldn't be just seeking the material things 20:40 that are, you know, they're temporary, 20:43 they're gonna burn up one day. 20:44 So, you know, we should be focused on the eternal. 20:48 And it's interesting how when we seek 20:51 the kingdom of God, 20:52 like everything starts falling into place. 20:55 Yeah. I mean, it's amazing. 20:57 It is amazing. 20:58 But, you know, have you ever thought of this, 21:00 and I know, 21:02 the thought hasn't really crystallized in my mind. 21:05 But when you think about this, 21:07 along the line of reciprocity, 21:09 you seek, He adds. 21:12 I wonder if God looks at us, 21:16 and He gives the blessings of the kingdom, 21:20 to the people who want them. 21:22 Yes. 21:23 You know, it's the seekers, 21:25 the people who are looking to Him in faith, 21:29 seek first the kingdom of God 21:32 and everything else comes to you. 21:35 And, you know, there's, I mean, I know that there are... 21:39 What did you say before we started, 21:41 an empty mouth doesn't get closed... 21:42 A closed mouth doesn't get fed. 21:44 A closed mouth doesn't get fed. 21:46 I mean, you think about when Jesus said, 21:49 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 21:54 for they shall be filled." 21:55 So there's that reciprocity, that reciprocal action, 22:01 but it comes because as you said, 22:03 the motive is one that you love Him, 22:06 you're seeking Him. 22:08 I think that's great. Yeah. 22:09 James 4, "You have not because ye ask not." 22:11 Amen. 22:12 So we're called to ask, 22:14 I have written in the margin of my Bible here for seek 22:16 in the Greek means to strive for desire, search. 22:22 So you think, okay, 22:23 if I'm seeking first the kingdom of God, 22:26 I'm striving for, I'm desiring Him. 22:29 Amen. 22:30 I'm searching for Him. 22:32 It's like to me a passionate heart, 22:33 longing for God. 22:35 Amen. 22:36 Seeking the things that God and then He wants to, 22:39 He's waiting for that, 22:40 He wants to fill us for all those blessings. 22:43 And things will fall into place. 22:45 And the more maturity that you have, 22:48 the more you accept that is part of His plan. 22:51 And there is where it gets a little complicated 22:53 because wait a minute here, you told me to seek. 22:56 Well, first of all, I love the definitions, 22:58 you get desire. 23:01 Aren't that your heart's desire? 23:03 Strive versus seek, 23:05 coming to me seeking is more of a... 23:08 You know, but boy this is part of my desire. 23:11 That's who I am. 23:13 And then because of that, then I have the peace 23:15 because I don't have that condemnation 23:17 and that guilt. 23:19 But I can walk a little bit taller 23:20 because I know 23:21 that I'm in the center of His will. 23:23 Amen. 23:24 So that makes a lot of sense. 23:25 You know, the interesting thing is, 23:27 the more you seek Him, 23:29 the more you desire to seek Him. 23:30 Yes. Yeah. 23:31 So it's kind of like he's filling you 23:33 with that desire as you come close to him. 23:36 And I think it's because you start learning 23:38 more and more about His character 23:39 and who He is. 23:41 And it's just like a relationship. 23:42 You know, I think all of this speaks to relationship. 23:45 Amen. Amen. 23:47 So as you continue to get to know Him, 23:50 and you continue to like, you take a look 23:51 at what Christ did for us on the cross. 23:54 I mean, how do you not fall in love, you know? 23:57 Amen. 23:58 Amen. Amen. 24:01 We also have Matthew 5:7 to look at, 24:05 which says, "Blessed are the merciful, 24:07 for they shall obtain mercy." 24:10 That's interesting. 24:12 Well, that's definitely 24:13 the law of reciprocity, isn't it? 24:16 Instantly right there. 24:18 And you let something 24:19 that what goes around comes around. 24:21 I mean that's, 24:22 if you were talking to me sometime earlier today 24:27 about the unforgiving servant, 24:30 you would share that thought? 24:33 Can I jump over there for that, that unforgiving servant? 24:36 I think we're in Matthew 18. 24:39 Matthew 18, of course, there's the council 24:42 on what do we do when we have a difficulty 24:44 with a brother or sister and how do you go, 24:46 you address them, and then you bring someone else 24:48 and all of that. 24:50 But after that Jesus tells 24:51 the parable of the unforgiving servant. 24:53 And it's interesting because Peter asked, 24:57 "How often am I supposed to forgive my brother." 24:59 This was the catalysts for Jesus telling the parable, 25:01 what, you know, up to seven times, 25:04 and Peter thought, 25:05 he's been very generous compared 25:07 to what they had in their system. 25:10 They said they normally 25:11 had to forgive not even seven times, 25:13 you know, and he's saying up to seven, 25:14 God, I'm gonna be generous. 25:16 And Jesus says, "I do not say to you up to seven times, 25:19 but up to seventy times seven." 25:22 And then he tells this parable, about the Kingdom of Heaven 25:26 being like a king, 25:27 settling accounts with his servants. 25:29 We won't read the whole passage. 25:32 But the contrast and what they're owed 25:34 is interesting to me. 25:35 The one gentleman in verse 24, 25:38 owed him ten thousand talents. 25:42 Now, my Andrew Study Bible says that, 25:45 "That is worth 60 million days wages." 25:49 Wow! 25:51 So this would be an account that could never be settled. 25:52 Right? 25:54 You could never live long enough 25:56 for almost eternity, to me it's just unfathomable. 26:00 So this he could never repay. 26:03 And yet he came down and he cried 26:05 before the master's feet, please have mercy on me. 26:09 Have patience with me, and I'll pay you all. 26:11 And what did the king do? 26:13 He had compassion. 26:14 It says in verse 27, 26:16 "Released him, and forgave the debt." 26:20 And then this servant 26:21 who was just forgiven a great deal, 26:24 and mercy, Jay, was extended to him, 26:27 in abundant measure. 26:30 Someone came to him who owed him. 26:32 The Bible says in verse 28, "A hundred denarii." 26:35 That's 100 days wages. 26:37 So we're talking a third of a year, right? 26:39 Or maybe more if you don't work every day. 26:41 But still, we're talking not a great deal compared 26:44 to something you can never repay. 26:45 Amen. 26:47 And the gentleman who had just been shown mercy, 26:51 refused to extend mercy, even though 26:54 the man asked for it in verse 29, 26:56 he says, "Have patience with me, 26:57 and I'm gonna pay you all." 26:59 He asked for forgiveness, he asked for mercy, 27:02 and it was not granted to him. 27:05 And then at the end, the master says, verse 32, 27:08 "You wicked servant! 27:09 I forgave you all that debt 27:11 because you asked me to. 27:13 Should you not also have had compassion 27:15 on your fellow servant, 27:17 just as I had pity on you?" 27:19 So that kingdom principle you see of reciprocity 27:23 of extending mercy, extending forgiveness, 27:26 and it being given to you and then you refusing 27:29 to give it to someone else? 27:30 It's amazing. Yeah. 27:32 And so he ended up in prison, didn't he? 27:34 I mean, if you want, "Blessed are the merciful, 27:38 for they shall obtain mercy." 27:40 Here he had and, you know, 27:43 I was praying for someone the other night. 27:46 Someone who's doing something that's not very nice. 27:49 And I was praying, and praying, 27:51 and I always pray for their salvation, 27:53 and I pray. 27:54 And, but I always pray, Lord, Proverbs 26:27. 28:00 He says, in Proverbs 26:27, 28:02 "Those who dig trap will fall into it." 28:06 And all of a sudden, this earnestness for mercy 28:12 came upon me. 28:13 And I was begging for mercy for this person. 28:18 And it was such an interesting experience. 28:20 And you know why? 28:21 I think it's just because the Lord was, 28:23 you know, suddenly brought back to me how much mercy 28:28 He had extended to me. 28:29 And I think when you recognize this man, 28:33 with 60 million days wages, 28:36 he should have recognized that 28:37 but then to think 28:39 that he didn't reciprocate. 28:43 I mean, that's amazing. 28:44 Yeah, that is, I mean, how do you 28:47 not forgive somebody who's wronged you? 28:50 Like way, 28:52 done wrong to you way less than you just did to somebody else, 28:55 and you were just forgiven. 28:57 How's that verse go? 28:59 I think it's him who is forgiven much. 29:03 Too much is given much is required. 29:05 Yes. Yes. 29:07 So I mean, yeah, I don't understand that one. 29:11 Well, there's a lot of people that walk around with mask on. 29:14 You know, that maybe inside and outside don't really gel. 29:19 They need to work. 29:21 They're pretenders. Yeah. 29:22 They need to, well, Lord, please help me. 29:25 Yeah. 29:28 Matthew 7:1-2, 29:33 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 29:35 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged. 29:39 And with the measure you use, 29:41 it will be measured back to you." 29:42 I think this, 29:44 this is really nice rebuke. 29:50 Because I mean, there's some people that, 29:52 like you'll walk into church or something like that. 29:55 And sometimes you come across 29:57 some of the most judgmental people, 29:59 you know, and really like Christ is not in that. 30:02 No, He wasn't. 30:03 So when you're having 30:05 and I think it's important to speak on this 30:06 is when you're having visitors 30:09 or somebody that's not a part of the denomination, 30:12 maybe they were never a Christian, 30:14 and then they walk into the church. 30:17 And then they walk into a bunch of judgmental people. 30:21 Pit of vipers. Yeah. 30:24 Well said. 30:26 That you're not pointing them to Christ, 30:28 you're not showing them Christ's character, you know. 30:31 So I really like that verse, 30:34 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 30:36 For with what judgment you judge, 30:38 you will be judged. 30:40 And with the measure you use, 30:41 it will be measured back to you." 30:43 So, you know, 30:45 when you think about and there's that other verse, 30:47 like, you know, but Lord, I prophesied in Your name, 30:50 I did this, I did that. 30:51 Depart from me, I never knew you. 30:54 Think about that, with that judgment. 30:56 You know, I think that's... 30:59 And I like where it says measure, 31:01 with what measure you measure. 31:02 So don't set a standard so high 31:03 that you yourself can't reach. 31:05 Yeah. Yeah, that's good. 31:06 Yeah. 31:08 That's really good. 31:09 That's good. JD? 31:14 You want me to go into mine. Okay. 31:16 This is really interesting. 31:17 And I'm gonna talk about Galatians 6:7-10. 31:21 We're talking about sowing 31:23 and we're talking about reaping. 31:24 And I just want to be transparent here. 31:26 I was, I see sowing and reaping. 31:28 And I knew immediately where this was going. 31:31 Because I do know 31:32 that if you go out to the cornfield, 31:34 and you sow, 31:36 if you sow a kernel of corn, 31:39 and you get the right environment, 31:42 that kernel of corn will produce an ear 31:46 and there's 300 kernels of corn on the ear. 31:49 Wow, that was 800. 31:53 Well. Whatever it is. 31:57 If it's a poor crop, it's 300. 31:59 If it's a big crop, it's 800. 32:01 Good. 32:03 On it, let's talk about wheat 32:04 because we all understand wheat 32:06 to play a kernel of wheat. 32:08 Damp, and then all of a sudden, 32:10 that will yield on one stem 80 kernels. 32:14 Wow! 32:16 So these are things that we understand. 32:17 And so as I was going through this, 32:19 boy, thank You, Jesus, 32:20 that You gave me a wakeup call, 32:22 I just want to just read, 32:25 read this real quick because thank You, Jesus, 32:28 that this helped me 32:29 because I took it from a physical aspect 32:32 to a spiritual aspect. 32:34 I wanna start with Galatians 6:1, real quick. 32:37 Brothers and sisters, 32:39 that's talking about each one of us. 32:40 "If someone is caught in a sin, 32:42 who, you who live by the Spirit 32:46 should restore that person gently." 32:47 Whoo. 32:49 That's just what we were talking about while ago 32:50 coming to church, "But watch yourselves, 32:52 or you may also be tempted. 32:54 Carry each other's burdens, 32:55 and in this way 32:56 you will fulfill the law of Christ. 32:58 If anyone thinks that they are something 33:01 when they are not, they deceive themselves. 33:04 Each one should test their own actions. 33:07 Then they can take pride in them alone, 33:10 without comparing themselves to someone else, 33:12 for each one should carry their own load." 33:14 Please hear that. 33:16 "Nevertheless, 33:18 the one who receives instruction in the word 33:20 should share all good things with their instructor." 33:23 Then coming down to 7 and 10 33:26 and that's where I was gonna start. 33:27 "So do not be deceived." 33:29 What that is saying right there. 33:31 Is that you're going to be held accountable for yourself. 33:34 So know what you believe. 33:36 "God cannot be mocked." 33:38 Amen. 33:40 "A man reaps what he sows." 33:43 So what he feels himself with what he eats, 33:46 takes in, that's what he's going to, 33:50 that's what he's going to sow. 33:52 So who, 33:53 that's what he's going to reap, 33:55 "A man reaps what he sows." 33:57 Yes, "Whoever sows to please their flesh, 34:00 from the flesh will reap destruction, 34:01 whoever sows to please the Spirit." 34:03 Thank You, Jesus, 34:05 "from the Spirit will reap eternal life." 34:08 Now speaking directly 34:10 to each one of us here in verse 9. 34:11 "So let us not become weary 34:14 in doing good, 34:15 for at the proper time 34:17 we will reap a harvest 34:19 if we do not give up. 34:21 So therefore, 34:23 as we have an opportunity, 34:25 let us do good to all people, 34:26 especially to those who belong to the family of believers." 34:31 Here we, 34:35 Jesus, please assist me, 34:38 I choose to believe 34:40 and what we're talking about here, reciprocity 34:42 that he's going to feed you. 34:44 Because you are requesting it, 34:46 that's how you're choosing to be. 34:48 And then as you're being failed, 34:51 then you begin to look through a more simplified person, 34:57 godlike person, 34:59 and at that particular time, 35:01 you will be benefit to those around you, 35:04 you will be able to handle them gently. 35:07 And then at that particular time, 35:09 then we're fulfilling our particular roles, 35:11 that what we are filling ourselves with, 35:14 what we are reaping is what's been sowed to us, 35:18 and then hopefully then is distributed. 35:21 And then hopefully those ears of corn, 35:24 those stems of wheat, 35:26 that they will be multiplied. 35:29 And so that's kind of 35:31 how I mean in 25 words, or less, 35:33 excuse me for getting on a page, 35:34 but it's really quite simple, 35:37 that but it all just, 35:39 it all starts with just one thing. 35:41 Do not be deceived. 35:43 Give him permission to work in your life, 35:46 to clear up that junk, 35:47 you know, that we perhaps can buy into. 35:50 And then Lord, please fertilize us, 35:54 please let Your Son come down. 35:56 So I will be able to share accordingly. 35:58 Amen. 36:00 So there is the spiritual harvesting 36:02 is what we're talking about here. 36:06 Back in 1999, 36:08 the Lord gave me the most amazing illustration. 36:13 And it's really simple. 36:15 You reap what you sow. 36:16 If I've got corn here and wheat here, 36:19 I plant corn over here. 36:21 What am I gonna get? 36:22 Corn. Corn. 36:24 I plant wheat over here, what am I gonna get? 36:25 Wheat. Wheat. 36:27 Why? 36:28 That's what you planted. 36:29 That's what and what the Lord said is, 36:31 the potential of the harvest is in the seeds. 36:34 That's right. 36:36 The potential of the harvest is in the seed. 36:40 Well, Jesus tells us 36:42 when He told the Parable of the Sower, 36:45 that the word is the seed 36:49 was the Word of God. 36:51 All of our potential is in the Word of God. 36:54 Amen. 36:55 So as we sow, 36:56 if you will claim God's promises, 36:59 pray God's promises back to Him, 37:02 praying them over your life, 37:04 you're sowing or praying over the other, 37:06 the potential of the harvest is in His Word. 37:11 Because you are who God says you are. 37:14 Amen. Amen. 37:16 No one stood out to me 37:17 when you were reading that JD 37:19 and I'm not sure I've ever even processed this before. 37:21 It's just one of the thoughts you have as you were talking. 37:24 I was thinking that the process of sowing is continual. 37:28 In other words, we sow every day, 37:30 we either every day, 37:31 we sow to the flesh, or we sow to the Spirit. 37:33 Every day are making choices, 37:36 and how I'm sowing into my life. 37:39 But the reaping happens twice. 37:43 There's the reaping in this world. 37:45 So another words what I mean by that is, 37:47 when I sow, 37:49 I reap benefits in this world. 37:51 If I sow Christ like godliness 37:53 into my heart into other people's lives, 37:56 that response and how other people treat you 37:58 and your relationships in your life in your decisions. 38:02 But also, there's a coming judgment. 38:04 Amen. 38:05 Where the reaping for what I'm sowing today 38:08 means I'm gonna stand before Christ. 38:10 And I'm gonna spend eternal life with Him. 38:13 Or He's gonna say, "I never knew you". 38:16 So the sowing I do 38:17 which is continuous has to reaping both here today. 38:21 To harvest. 38:22 And to harvest, thank you, 38:24 and eternal life or not eternal life. 38:27 Yeah. Excellent. 38:29 Wonderful, wonderful. 38:32 Yes. 38:33 Well, when I think of reciprocity, 38:36 what came to mind was reciprocal. 38:38 And so I was thinking about what is reciprocal. 38:42 And engines are reciprocal, 38:44 meaning they have pistons that work together, 38:48 but against each other. 38:49 So one pushes, one pulls, 38:51 one pushes and pulls 38:53 and in an aircraft, 38:55 you have reciprocal engine 38:56 where they're absolutely opposed to one another, 38:59 and you have multiple ones, 39:00 and they all have to work together. 39:02 Because while they are working, pushing and pulling, 39:05 they're turning a crank shaft. 39:07 And that crank shafts are generating energy 39:09 that will create thrust, 39:11 which moves the plane forward. 39:13 And then the wings give it lift, 39:15 which overcome two negatives, 39:17 wait and drag. 39:19 And so as the engine is reciprocating, 39:22 pushing and pulling, pushing and pulling, 39:25 the plane is moving forward, 39:26 and then begins to take off and working together. 39:30 Fascinating. Yeah. 39:31 And so God gave us this, 39:33 this system of reciprocity so that we could work together. 39:38 And I was thinking some examples came to mind 39:40 in the Bible, of reciprocity in action. 39:43 And one was the harlot in Jericho. 39:47 She out of the goodness of her heart, 39:49 gave refuge to the spies 39:52 not to get anything in return, 39:54 but because she believes she had heard the truth. 39:56 And she believed 39:57 that they believed in the true God, 39:58 and she wanted to associate ourselves with that. 40:00 So out of the goodness of her heart, she hid them. 40:02 And in turn, 40:04 God saved not only herself and her whole family. 40:06 Amen. 40:07 And another example is the widow, 40:09 I think it's Zane with Elijah. 40:10 Yes. 40:12 Again, again, 40:13 Elijah asked for something 40:14 that was gonna be detrimental to her and her kid, 40:17 but she gave it 40:18 not to get anything in return. 40:20 But she gave it 40:21 because she believed in doing good for others. 40:25 And when she did that, 40:26 God saved her and her family. 40:30 Another example a woman, 40:32 and her husband lived along the path 40:34 that Elijah traveled, 40:36 and they, she wanted to do something good for him. 40:38 So she built him a room. 40:41 So that he would have a place to stay. 40:43 Not for anything in return, 40:45 it was truly altruistic for him 40:47 to benefit him in his travels. 40:49 And God blessed them with the child 40:52 that they wanted. 40:54 And you think of Joseph. 40:56 Joseph lived the life of reciprocity, 40:58 he did not do good to get in return, 41:00 he did good because that's who he was. 41:02 Amen. 41:04 And so what's fascinating though, 41:05 in all those stories, 41:07 is they did good 41:08 out of the goodness of their heart, 41:10 but God was the one 41:12 who did the rewarding. 41:13 Amen. That's good. 41:14 And that's how we can look at reciprocity with others. 41:17 When we do good for others, 41:18 we're not gonna get in return necessarily from them, 41:20 we may get something. 41:22 That's right. 41:23 But it's God, it's God who gives the blessing, 41:25 and the rewarding for that action. 41:28 And an example of negative reciprocity 41:30 would be Jacob and Esau. 41:33 The classic example. 41:36 Esau was starving. 41:38 And Jacob saw his opportunity to give, to get something. 41:42 And what he gave was disproportionate 41:44 to what he was actually going to get in return. 41:46 It's true. 41:48 And so that would be an example of negative reciprocity, 41:50 which God definitely frowns on. 41:53 He got a blessing, but didn't get the blessing 41:54 that he was supposed to get because he jumped the gun. 41:58 Abraham, you know, with Sarah, 41:59 and King with Ishmael, 42:01 you know, we have another example. 42:03 And so, Ecclesiastes 11:1 42:07 if you turn to that. 42:12 I thought it was a good text for reciprocity. 42:14 "Cast thy bread upon the waters, 42:17 for thou shalt find it after many days." 42:20 God's principle is give, give, give, give, 42:24 don't look for the return, but always give, 42:26 and then he will give the return 42:29 in ways that, you know, 42:31 we can't even fathom 42:32 like you were saying, in this life 42:34 will have to harvest in this life 42:36 and the life to come. 42:39 And so and then I just like wrap it up with James 1... 42:48 versus 5 through 8. 42:50 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, 42:53 that giveth to all men liberally, 42:55 and upbraideth not, 42:56 for it shall be given him. 42:58 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. 43:00 For he that wavereth 43:01 is like a wave of the sea driven in the wind, 43:04 by the wind and tossed. 43:06 For let not that man think 43:07 that he shall receive anything of the Lord. 43:09 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." 43:11 So God wants us 43:15 to give in faith, 43:17 not expecting anything in return, 43:19 not hoping for some future glory, 43:22 but just because 43:24 we love and He's instilled that love in us. 43:28 And then He is the one that will bless us in turn 43:31 whatever we do into a blessing 43:33 not only for ourselves, but for others. 43:34 Because we're like that engine, 43:36 we're all working together. 43:37 And if... 43:39 There's two things that fight against the engine 43:41 is pre-explosion and detonation, 43:43 and what that means is, 43:45 a piece of carbon can get into that cylinder 43:47 and cause it to misfire. 43:49 And when it starts to misfire, 43:51 it's working against the other cylinders, 43:54 and then what happens, it gets hot, 43:57 it starts breaking down, 43:58 and then if you're in a plane, you're gonna crash, 44:00 eventually, the engine's gonna stop 44:02 and you're going to crash. 44:03 And we as a people, 44:05 who believe in God need to work together, 44:07 not let the carbons get into our lives 44:10 to cause us to misfire 44:11 and to overheat into what negative reciprocity, 44:14 we need to be in the generalized reciprocity 44:17 with others. 44:18 So we can all work together. 44:20 And so then as we are working together, 44:22 what is the trajectory of our lift up? 44:24 Right. Forwarded up. 44:27 Exactly. 44:28 That's powerful. 44:29 That is real. 44:31 What a great example, 44:32 you know, we talked about judge not, 44:35 the measure you use will be measured to you. 44:39 And kind of go with both what you all said, Luke 6:38, 44:43 Jesus said, "Given it will be given to you, 44:45 good measure, pressed down, shaken together, 44:48 but and running over will be poured into your bosom. 44:51 And he there says, 44:53 "With the measure you use, 44:55 it will be measured to you." 44:56 But as you said, 44:58 it doesn't necessarily I mean, 45:01 if you're being benevolent toward the poor, 45:04 and you're giving, 45:06 you don't expect anything in return on those people, 45:09 but I think what happens is God looks down and says, 45:13 "Here's somebody that is developing my character." 45:16 He may give you more insight, he may give you more peace. 45:20 He may, you know, 45:21 when you get in a scrape, 45:26 he comes around, 45:27 send somebody around 45:29 and we had that happen, 45:31 you know, when Jesus said, 45:33 it's more blessed to give, to receive, 45:36 I'll tell you what, 45:37 it's more, 45:41 it's hard to be on the receiving end. 45:43 It's humbling. And that's true. 45:45 When you get on, you know, 45:46 we were used to being the big givers. 45:48 And we had a little situation 45:50 and somebody came to us just shocked us. 45:55 And it was like, 45:57 we can't take that. 45:59 You know, and it was $500. 46:02 But it was still a $500. 46:05 We can't take that. 46:07 And it was very humbling. 46:09 And the Lord told 46:11 what he told us both, 46:12 we had to humble ourselves. 46:14 But God does. 46:17 There's no doubt. 46:18 I mean, we could go on forever inherent. 46:20 I want to get to yours 46:21 'cause you're just so important on the scriptures, 46:23 but there's no doubt 46:25 that there is this kingdom law of reciprocity. 46:28 What a great example with the pistons. 46:31 I like what you said there, Shelley, 46:32 just now because I was thinking 46:34 it is hard to be on the receiving end, 46:36 you know, it's a different you think, 46:38 well, I'm supposed to be the Christian 46:40 and the one giving, 46:41 I'm supposed to be helping, I'm supposed to be serving. 46:43 And this is not financial. 46:45 But just recently, 46:46 someone had done something for me. 46:49 And I said, I can't take that. 46:51 And they said, "Jill, are you robbing me of my blessing?" 46:55 And I thought forgive me, Lord, that's true. 46:59 You know, because God had put on this precious woman's heart, 47:02 she needed to do this certain thing for me. 47:05 And I saw it, but I feel guilty. 47:07 You know, I can't accept that. 47:09 And you're busy. 47:10 And I don't want take your time 47:12 and all that, 47:13 but are you robbing me of my blessing? 47:15 Amen. Amen. 47:16 So. Yeah. Yeah. That's a good one. 47:17 Yeah. That's a good one. 47:19 Okay, I want to talk 47:21 about the principle of reciprocity of forgiveness. 47:26 So let's look at Matthew Chapter 6. 47:32 We spend a lot of time 47:33 in the Sermon on the Mount, Jay, 47:34 all your scriptures were from Matthew 5, or 6, or 7. 47:37 I love this passage. 47:40 Matthew 6, of course, 47:41 verses 9-11 is the Lord's Prayer. 47:44 And in the Lord's Prayer, 47:46 there is that principle of reciprocity seen there. 47:49 And then Jesus kind of unpacks it afterward 47:52 and makes it even more clear 47:54 in case you misunderstood what was there. 47:57 Let's read it first in the Lord's Prayer, 47:59 we know that 48:00 I guess we have time we read the whole passage 48:02 "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. 48:05 Your kingdom come. 48:06 Your will be done. 48:08 On earth as it is in heaven. 48:10 Give us this day our daily bread. 48:12 And forgive us our debts, 48:15 as we forgive our debtors." 48:16 So this is, I've memorized it in King James, 48:20 "Forgive our trespasses, 48:21 as we forgive those who trespass against us." 48:24 "And do not lead us into temptation, 48:26 but deliver us from evil. 48:29 For Thine is the kingdom 48:30 and the power and the glory forever. 48:31 Amen." 48:33 And then Jesus unpacks it, 48:34 as it were, right here, He said, 48:35 "If you missed the part about the debts and forgiving." 48:38 Verse 14, "If you forgive men their trespasses, 48:43 your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 48:46 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, 48:50 neither will your Father forgive 48:53 your trespasses." 48:56 Now this is a heavy scripture. 48:58 To me, it's a heavy scripture, 49:00 when you sit down 49:01 and you actually cogitate on what it means. 49:03 I just want to make clear 49:04 before I unpack this part about. 49:07 We're supposed to forgive other people 49:09 if we want God to forgive us. 49:11 Before we talk about that, 49:13 I believe this scripture specifically, 49:16 and you theologians might jump on me 49:18 at this moment. 49:20 But I believe this scripture specifically talks about us 49:22 in our sanctification process. 49:24 What I mean by that is, you might be saying, 49:27 I know there's unforgiveness in my heart, 49:28 but I've never even asked Jesus into my heart, 49:30 and I've not even accepted Him. 49:32 And does that mean I need to conjure up forgiveness 49:35 for someone else, 49:36 before I can even come to the Father. 49:38 The Bible says in 1 John 1:9, 49:40 "If we confess our sins, 49:42 He's faithful and just to forgive us 49:43 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 49:46 We know that we are justified freely by His grace. 49:49 So even if we're battling with unforgiveness, 49:52 we can still come before God and say, 49:54 I want to be your son or daughter, 49:57 I want to be your child, I want you to forgive my sins, 50:01 and Jesus will forgive 'cause He knows our heart. 50:05 Then, as we begin taking the baby steps 50:08 in the Christian life, 50:10 and as we begin growing, 50:12 He brings to our attention areas 50:14 where He wants us to grow. 50:16 And this is one of those areas. 50:18 I agree. 50:19 He says, okay, Jill, if you're harboring bitterness, 50:22 Hebrews 12 talks about the root of bitterness 50:25 that can spring up 50:27 and trouble you and thereby many people be defiled, 50:30 not just myself or your spouse, 50:34 but this is if you hold on to unforgiveness 50:37 that affects your ministry. 50:38 It affects the people around you, 50:40 it affects your marriage, it affects your family. 50:44 So bitterness and unforgiveness spreads. 50:48 But if we come before God 50:50 in this principle and say God, 50:52 will you pour Your love and forgiveness into my heart. 50:55 This is where I think this principle of reciprocity, 50:58 it is truly a gift. 51:00 Absolutely. 51:01 So it is not. 51:03 Where God says, okay, 51:04 you need to forgive, Jill, 51:06 otherwise, I'm not gonna forgive you. 51:07 He says, I will pour my forgiveness 51:09 into your heart for so and so 51:12 because He knows I can't even do it myself. 51:14 We can't grit our teeth and try to forgive each other. 51:17 But God gives us His forgiveness. 51:19 And Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind, 51:21 one to another, tenderhearted, 51:24 forgiving one another, 51:25 just as God in Christ forgave you." 51:29 Amen. 51:30 You know, that made me think of Acts 5:32, 51:34 where I'm gonna begin with verse 31. 51:38 "Him God," speaking of Christ, Christ, 51:41 "God has exalted to His right hand 51:44 to be Prince and Savior, 51:46 to give repentance." 51:50 In other words, it is God through Jesus Christ, 51:54 who grants us the gift of repentance. 51:56 That's right. 51:58 And He said, "And forgiveness of sins." 52:01 But this is something that one time. 52:05 Do you ever as you're studying? 52:08 I bet I've read the New Testament 400 times. 52:11 Wow! 52:12 I mean, I've just read it a lot. 52:14 But have you ever just been reading along, 52:16 and all of a sudden, this scripture, 52:18 just like a neon sign, 52:20 it just lights up and shouts at you, 52:22 and maybe you've read it 100 times before, 52:25 but it just jumps up at you. 52:28 This one, one day did that. 52:30 And I recognized 52:32 that God was showing me 52:35 that I needed not only to ask for forgiveness, 52:39 but to ask that He would grant me repentance. 52:42 Amen. 52:43 You know, and what repentance means 52:45 is it's basically 180-degree turn around 52:48 that you're walking in this direction. 52:50 And if you repent, 52:52 you're going in the other direction. 52:54 And so this is something that we need to be open to 52:58 'cause we can't repent without His power. 53:05 I mean, it takes them. 53:07 I think I've got time to tell real quick story. 53:11 When I was asking God for an illustration 53:15 on forgiveness, 53:17 and He gave me the greatest story, 53:19 I just love this story. 53:21 It's, if you think of a valley, 53:24 and there's a stream coming down off the mountain, 53:27 in the valley. 53:28 If I take, 53:29 and let's say, this is a wire, 53:31 I anchor it here, 53:33 on this side of the stream 53:35 and I anchor the other side, this wire, 53:37 right across this valley, here's the wire. 53:41 All right, the water comes down, 53:44 somebody upstream throws trash 53:47 into the stream, 53:50 as it comes down. 53:52 What happens when it reaches? 53:53 It catches on the wire. 53:55 It catches, 53:56 more people throw trash and trash, 53:58 eventually, 53:59 just like a beaver would build a dam stick by stick, 54:03 this gets blocked up with trash. 54:07 And the water can no longer flow. 54:09 So what the Lord showed me, 54:12 as He was giving me this example, 54:14 which is like so powerful. 54:16 He said that unforgiveness in our heart 54:20 is like that little tiny wire. 54:22 And people throw their insults or your injuries in there. 54:27 And they begin to gather up around that unforgiveness. 54:31 Guess what happens? 54:33 The bitterness, the anger, 54:36 and the Holy Spirit can no longer fall through you. 54:39 See, when I think when He says forgive, 54:43 it's for our own benefit that He wants us to forgive. 54:47 So that it is part of the sanctification process. 54:51 I just think it's beautiful. 54:52 Let's close with thank you so much. 54:56 This has been such an exciting study. 54:58 And thank you for each one of you, 55:00 which brought to the table. 55:02 But let's have a closing prayer. 55:03 Jay, why don't we just begin with you and go around. 55:06 Sure. 55:07 Dear, Heavenly Father, 55:09 we just want to thank You for this wonderful topic. 55:12 Lord, we wanna thank You for the fact that 55:15 even though we don't give to You 55:19 as much as You give to us, 55:20 You still pour out Your blessings upon us. 55:23 We thank You for the way that You love us. 55:27 We thank You for the way that You take care of us. 55:30 And, Lord, we love You. 55:31 I ask that You would strengthen us 55:34 and help us to always try and reciprocate that love. 55:38 Amen. 55:40 In Jesus' name, amen. 55:42 Heavenly Father, I wanna thank You 55:44 for the gift of giving. 55:47 Lord, we just ask that You would give us 55:49 more of that gift 55:50 so that we can share it with others 55:51 just like You shared Your life for the world. 55:54 Help us to share our love 55:56 for the world and those around us. 55:57 Amen. 55:59 Thank You for the gift of forgiveness 56:00 and give us more that gift as well 56:02 so that we can share it, Lord. 56:03 Help us not to hide our lights under bushels, 56:05 but to shine them 56:07 so that they can glorify You and this we pray in Your name. 56:09 Amen. 56:10 Father, I just want thank You for the many things 56:12 that You continue to do for each one of us bless. 56:14 And, Father, we do ask 56:16 that You'd be a lamp to our feet. 56:18 So, Father, as we continue to go forward, 56:20 that we will do all things for Your benefit, 56:23 Lord, 'cause, Father, we know that 56:26 'cause of Your reciprocation, 56:28 that we will be able to see clear the next time. 56:31 Holy Father, we thank You 56:33 that You are a promise keeping God. 56:35 You are a God of covenant. 56:37 And, Lord, we thank You 56:39 that You pour Your love into our hearts. 56:42 And help us to open our heart 56:43 and receive Your love that we may love You 56:45 with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, 56:48 and love our neighbor as ourselves. 56:50 Thank You, God, that You stand at the door 56:52 of our heart and knock. 56:54 And You said if we open up our heart to You, 56:56 You will come in and change and transform us. 57:00 We give You permission to do that 57:01 just now in Jesus' name. 57:03 Amen. Amen. 57:05 Amen. 57:06 Thank you so much each and every one of you. 57:08 We're just so glad that you joined us tonight. 57:11 And I just think this was such a fun study. 57:14 Thank you to each one of you 57:15 for everything that you brought to the table. 57:19 Really love you all. It's a privilege to be here. 57:21 Amen. 57:22 Well, we love you at home as well. 57:25 And just know that for absolutely for certain. 57:29 And our prayer for you 57:30 is that the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 57:33 the love of the Father 57:34 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 57:35 will be with you always. 57:37 Amen. |
Revised 2019-05-10