Forgiving One Another By Merv Topp

After six months of our first year, we really commenced some Christian work.
And in those years we've been called on for many things.
But we've been called on a lot to help with the ministry of reconciliation.
Late one night, on a Saturday night, I get a phone call.
And the brother was on the edge of tears.
And he rings up and he said,
have you got a message of some kind up your sleeve for tomorrow morning?
I said, why brother, why?
He said, the church is split and three quarters of the church have walked out, he said.
It's a long, sad story.
And I said I would go. I got there and it reminded me of the first funeral I ever conducted.
The people's faces were long and drawn.
I hadn't known that it had been going through nonsense for quite a long time.
What had happened is the man had got in the church as the pastor
and he pointed all of his family to major roles within the church.
And it's just ground to a halt.
And I can still see us that day as we ask,
and I search my heart as to what we should look at.
You know?
It wasn't the time for that morning to be any clappy, chappy, chappy, chappies at all, was it?
And since I stood before the congregation,
and I read the verses that our brother read this evening to you.
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion and kindness,
humility and gentleness and patience.
Bearing with each other and forgiving whatever grievances you may have against another,
forgiving as the Lord has forgiven you.
It was considerably electric, I suppose.
The voice come from what was left of the body of the congregation.
You don't know, brother, what we have been through.
I said, and I don't want to know.
But what I'm bringing you today is God's Word on the subject.
And being you ask me, I will not back away from that subject.
Somewhere down through the day and the weeks to come, you will meet somebody at a shopping centre.
It used to sit with you in your church.
What will you say to them?
What will transpire?
See, it's the same sort of thing that happened to me in the exclusive brethren.
A lot of people don't know that I lost my job, I had a broken engagement,
I'd already been kicked out of house and home.
I was disenfranchised.
And I don't know what it is to be disenfranchised by Christians.
And so, we've got to go to the Word and be challenged by the Word of God.
It's where we stand.
No matter what kind of situation we fight, find ourselves in.
In the struggle, in the Christian life on this earth, there will come times of difficulty
because we live still in the body of flesh.
And we still struggle with our old nature, each one of us.
We have not yet arrived.
But good news is coming, friends.
It's timeless coming when we'll be clothed in immortality, a new body, in His righteousness.
Because the damn payment has already been made.
There is a deposit.
When we shall be like Him and where He is.
So the issue comes as we face.
We talked about what it is this morning.
The greatness of what is to be brought into the Kingdom of God under the authority of the Gospel.
And the Gospel changes people's lives.
Now sin is forgiven.
But now we move to a situation where we look at forgiving one another.
I'm not real fond of the Good News Bible.
But in the Good News Bible, I think it is in this passage actually, there's a little stick figure drawing
about bearing one another's burdens.
And if for nothing else, as for that stick figure drawing, I think it's very good.
Because you have a photo that's going across the page and somebody's holding a bundle on the back,
on the back of someone else in front.
And somebody in turn is holding the black for that black bundle, bearing one another's burdens.
And the only way we can do that is that Christ has borne the main burden.
The penalty of your guilt and my guilt of sin.
Burdens, we sing sometimes, are lifted at Calvary.
Aren't they?
And when we come, the first flush of the time in our lives, when we come to faith in Christ
and we hear the Gospel and all the excitement of what it is to come to trust Jesus as our own personal Saviour
and it seems like every morning the sun is rising in the right place and nothing seems to be going wrong.
And the first flush will come across our hearts.
It goes on, be careful, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience,
bearing each other, forgiving whatever grievances you may have against one another, forgiving as the Lord forgave you.
This is not an optional extra.
I'm old enough to remember the 1956 Holden coming out.
Remember it? Holden's special.
And it had its special on it, that's the only thing it was special about because it said it was special.
And you bought it without mud flaps and it had one toilet in the middle of the back.
And the windscreen wipers were something else, weren't you? You put your foot down and the more you put the foot down the slower the wipers went
because of the vacuum driven things, you know that.
They just barely keep your back off and it knocks itself out.
And anything else you did to it was extra.
And that's sometimes we think just like that.
And so as we come to this, for Christians to be willing to forgive, unforgiving is the unthinkable.
Now I know, I know that people can be heard.
I can still see that morning all those years ago as I stood before this congregation.
And that's before it happened, do you think Elizabeth had come with too so she could play the organ, even the organist had gone, you know.
And it was incredible.
And so I determined to preach on this until I seen a change in the people's faces.
And I told them so, we might be here for a while.
We may be here for all afternoon.
I think it might have been on the fact of that threat that people started to tucker up a little bit.
And by the end of the time as we sat down over a cup of tea outside afterwards, people saw why I brought this message to them.
Because there's going to come a time.
Praise God the church, the other church has gone on and done its thing and it's divided several times since, over nine essentials.
That the church that was divided is packed and overflowing with the streams.
Because from that point on they kept the main game, the main game.
My dear child of God, the main game is to tell others of the good news that's in Christ Jesus.
Our war against the blood and flesh goes on.
We fight not against flesh and blood, but spiritual wickedness.
Enemies are out to see, he can trip us up.
If you remember Pilgrims Progress, it's easy to get off in the by-path meadows.
It's easy to get off the track.
It's easy to get stuck down.
You know, I can remember in the movie that was made in Ireland, all Irish characters done it.
All the voices were Irish.
And Mr Wellley ways, he had a very Irish accent.
Come to the city that's fair.
And the enemy is always beseeching us to get off and get away.
And what brought people back in the life of Pilgrims Progress?
Can you remember what brought people back?
Evangelist, interpreter.
They cast themselves in that bunion head wise enough to get us back into the scriptures,
back into the word of God, back into the things that matter most.
Forgiving whatever grievances.
I don't know what the grievances were.
I have no idea.
You see, what it's based on is who we have done.
Forgiven by God himself, have no right to withhold forgiveness from our fellow sinners.
That's the challenge.
That's the challenge.
This is the bible challenge.
I'm not talking about anything that happens.
I'm giving illustrations that I hope help you.
I'm going to give one illustration and I'll lay the background again to how I seem to
get myself into these things at times.
So, I got a message one day.
I was out in the mission field some years ago.
And a friend of mine got in touch with me.
He said, Merv, he said,
so and so has fallen into sin gravely.
And when he told me what sort of sin,
I sat down and I wept and wept and wept.
When I got back, the denomination he was serving the Lord in,
took his car off him, his wage off him,
dismissed him, got rid of him,
everything I could possibly do.
Now it was a grievous sin.
I will not minimize it for a minute.
So I sit myself down with my thumbnail dipped in tar
and scribbles out a letter to him.
Dear brother,
at this stage I do not wish to find out anything else but that I'm here for you
if you feel you can talk to somebody.
I'm here for you.
Come and see me if you will, if you can.
Allow me to come and see you.
Time goes by.
Time goes by.
And then I'm in my study, my office is near,
where people got wiped by.
He and his wife walked past the office window,
knocked on the front door.
She went in and sat down with Elizabeth
and he come and sat with me.
And the whole of his life just flowed out.
Such sadness.
It was adultery.
With all kinds of things happen.
Even the circumstances I'm going to share with you anyway,
he flowed out and I decided to take myself
and see the head of his denomination.
He had no idea what he was doing.
He had degrees from here to the front door.
Fahrenheit.
Unbelievable.
He had a degree.
And I said, where is the Ministry of Reconciliation?
Where is the Ministry of Recovery?
He got fairly indignant with me.
And annoyed.
I said, listen, pal,
I know that Elizabeth was a very reverend,
very, very, very reverend,
something or other, something or other.
As I said, look, he had from here to...
He deceived us, he says.
Yes, I said in the same tone of language,
but the snare of the devil.
I have no need to tell you the Greek or the Hebrew,
you know that all anyway.
And I decided to press this man right into his corner.
I said, you did nothing
that I can see that led towards his recovery.
I gave him one, I had two cars at the time
because I was using a mission car.
I gave him a car.
I said, now, look, he poured out his heart.
We were there till two in the morning.
I said, we're gonna start working a process
of working through this.
And the reason I decided we could do this
is his wife had come with him
and she wanted recovery.
She wanted to forgive him.
She wanted to see it restored.
And after our little cold occasion with this guy,
I'm not gonna use his name, it was your...
I worked with this dear brother for six years,
six years.
And we'd meet together.
Talk about restoration.
I could never do this, what I could do
and everything like this.
Then at about the seventh year,
I get a phone call.
Only fell over.
This was his right honorable very reverend.
Good evening, Mervyn.
So and so here.
Here's what happened.
He said, what can I do for you?
He said, Doug, look, I understand
that you've been working with so and so.
That's correct.
How'd you know that?
He said, we'd like to talk with you.
I said, good, I'll come over to you.
And here was these lineup of lunar gentlemen.
Look at Al Rufus here.
He just came in off the road, I think.
I just pulled myself up a chair
and I deliberately turned it around the other way
so I sit and straddle and land on the back of it.
And what can I do for you?
He said, we were wrong how we treated
your efforts to recover this man.
And what we want to ask you now
is would he be fit enough
to go back?
To go back into the eldership of our church?
I didn't think that day would ever come.
The vilest offender who truly believes
a moment from Jesus, a pardon received.
Friends, I want to tell you,
if the gospel works the first time
and people can be reconciled to God,
it must surely work again when we fall.
Otherwise, there'd be no room
for any of us tonight here in this church.
No room when we fall and stumble
and trip up and do things
that are done secretly even.
If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves.
The truth is not in us.
But if we confess our sins,
he is faithful, unjust.
Yes, there must be repentance.
Yes, there must be ministry of repentance.
There must be work of the Spirit of God
in the heart of a person.
The heart of each heart,
forgiving one another, restoring.
The end goal of all discipline
in the church, I believe,
is restoration.
If somebody sins against him,
go and see him and restore him.
He that is spiritual.
And I tell you, sometimes
we don't feel too spiritual.
But I want to ask you,
if there's no way home,
after Saint Paul's,
how can we be guaranteed
the gospel is good enough
to save us in the first place?
People stumble.
People do stumble.
And it's horrendous,
sometimes it happens.
And it grieves the heart of God
and it grieves those that are around us.
But you see,
here is the way back home.
Be kind to one another, tender,
hard of forgiving one another.
And this is not brushing it
under the carpet, by the way.
This is not, oh, well, it's all right,
don't worry about it, it'll be okay.
I'm not talking about that.
Yes, there must be a recognition of sin.
No back door back to God.
I tried pushing the back door
for years, for 11 years.
Never did find one.
Just as God in Christ also
forgave you.
It brings us back to what?
Gospel.
The gospel.
No, we don't want to see people fall.
We don't want to see people stumble.
Well, I see, but there is,
must be a way home.
Must be a way home.
I'm gonna say tonight,
if you've never come
to this place of mercy
and cast yourself on the mercy of God,
seek his grace and forgiveness.
By grace you're saved through faith.
This not of yourself, the gift of God.
God has sent out the invitation
for you and to me.
Coming down the front here
won't help you much.
Same piece of carpet here
is back up there,
if you want to get on your knees.
What's required of us
is a repentant,
repentant heart
and a broken heart
to set ourselves right with God.
Since God commands us
to forgive others,
refusing to do so
is an act of direct disobedience
against him.
You know,
I think I've said this before.
Those of you who have arrived
and are perfect, please let us know.
Put up your hands.
You can't do it.
Neither can I.
By grace you're saved.
By grace you've kept.
By grace you come under the hand of God.
His preserving grace
and perseverance grace
Oh, we need so much
to keep a short account with God.
We need to be very,
and this is what I like at times,
we need to be very confessional
before the throne of grace.
Very confessional.
We need to keep
our hearts subdued
before the Lord.
Forgiveness reflects the character of God.
You're here not because of God's grace.
You're here because of God's mercy.
You're here
not because of the labor of your homes.
You're here because of God's grace.
Unforgivingness
is ungodly.
And that's what I said to this.
I said to him,
he almost looked at me,
have the cheek to say to me,
the reverend,
I don't care if you've done exams
and pass them, my friend.
If you're unforgiving,
you're unforgiving
and you're unbiblical.
Boy, that really affected him.
Yet I think I was able to say
praise the Lord when he rang us
six years later.
I've preached to him
I've preached for that brother
that I told you about.
This has happened years ago now
in the church that he passes.
And I've encouraged him
to throw his sins
into the depth of the feet.
As far as the east is from the west,
so he separates our transgressions.
Like Corrie ten Boom says,
and you direct a sign over
to cast your sin
and that sign reads,
no fishing.
That includes even the people
of God in the church.
So there is such a thing
of recovery.
There is such a thing
as restoration.
There is such a thing
to acknowledge.
But sometimes our forgiveness
is as equal to
offense to God
as fornication
and drunkenness.
If we have an unforgiving spirit,
unrestoring heart.
What right are we then
if we can't do the ministry
of reconciliation,
what right are we then
to go and preach
the gospel in England?
Forgiveness is an
integral part
of the Christian's new nature,
new life in Christ.
We can't have new life
until we know the greatness
of the forgiveness of sins.
Peace with God.
It's one of the first books
that Billy Graham
ever wrote,
Peace with God.
Still worthwhile reading.
Might have changed my thought
on a few things he said and that,
but still worthwhile reading.
Peace with God.
So when we see
professing Christians
who are stubborn
and refuse to relinquish
a grudge,
we have to question
the genuineness
of their faith.
Had a man
in the Brethren Assembly
who I attended years ago.
For 40 years
he sat in that assembly.
He carried with him
for 40 years
something had said to him
in his early teens,
early,
in his 20s.
For 40 years
he had never
partaken of the
Lord's Supper.
And I said,
hasn't anybody asked him why?
Hasn't anybody sat down on him?
He sat down
and he went over
what had happened to him.
It was 44 years ago.
He'd carried this with him
like a burden
with him
of this unforgiven
unrestored spirit.
I can still see him
to this day.
I remember sitting
in his lounge room
and I leaned forward.
But isn't it time
you put it down?
And he broke down in tears.
I said,
isn't it time
you gave it over
to the Lord
and put it down?
Why
carry it
on your chest
for so long?
He just howled
like a child.
I was there for an hour
or two with him
and he broke bread
with us
the following Sunday morning
for the first time
in about 44 years
that it was.
He put it down
for the first time.
You see how
holding it in
can hold us.
Let me give you
another one.
I was in the Kimberleys.
The Aboriginal people
hold grudges
for a long time too.
And we're there one day
and poor old Maggie
had done something
and they were all
crooked on Maggie.
Maggie's always been
like this old
Aboriginal lady says.
She did this, this, this
and this and this.
So I thought, hmm.
So we start talking.
When did that happen?
Oh, well, you know
she did it there
when she was a while ago.
No, no, no.
That's what I asked her.
Was it last year?
Oh, no, no, no, no.
And I kept working
on the years.
And it was 1937.
I was born in 39.
I said,
sister,
that is before
I was born.
And you're still
holding it around
as though it was
a couple of years ago.
See, it's possible
to carry
hurts all that time.
Now, I know what it is
to be hurt.
Don't you worry about that.
Huh?
You sound a bit like
old JBL.
Don't you worry about that.
I know that.
Yeah.
See, forgiveness
must come from the heart.
Restoration must come.
There must be
a recognition of sin
but a forsaking of that sin
and moving forward
whether you're 14 or 84
it doesn't matter.
You can't hold on to it
and have that joyous
Christian life.
And so that's the challenge.
Forgiveness requires
setting aside our
selfishness,
accepting the grace
and wrongs
others have committed
against us
and not demanding
what we think
is our duty.
Huh?
You see, we've got to
go back to Christ.
I'll never forget
the heady days
amongst what was
the exclusive brethren.
They were terrible days.
We'd have
business meetings
that went till
one o'clock in the morning
and I tell you
at one o'clock in the morning
nobody's thinking right.
I think we've got to
we ought to conduct
our business like
the Queen conducts
her business meeting
with the Parliament.
They come to see her
they stand up
and conduct a ministry
that stops them
from yabbering on
for so long.
Huh?
We should all stand up
at the church business
meeting and say
we've got to say
then we can sit down
and go home.
Selfishness.
Putting aside
those things
that are committed
against us
that demand what
we think of
they do.
All that
reigns and encounters
how naturals
are sinful
inclination.
So we need to be
in challenge.
Even as new creatures
we retain
and a remembrance
of sin in our flesh.
Sinful habitants
sinful desires.
Accountants and
plague us.
My dad become a
Christian in salvation
he only had little
little sheet that
he had to form.
A sign
when he committed
his life to Christ
he had to
he wouldn't drink
or not to smoke.
I never could tell
anyone I said
what about the one
run around with bad women?
And he'd pick that
and look at it
it was not on there
I said alright
gee I'm glad of that.
And dad worried
about it because
he
he knocked
off his smoking
which was about
100 cigarettes a day
tailored him
back to about 20.
And he had terrible
emphysema when
emphysema when he died.
But he loved the Lord.
I'll never get one
sign at one time
when a
major dunce he
come down to see us
and he
come to visit him
oh he said
no he said
he nearly
screamed me today
did he?
I said why?
He said oh he
come round the corner
he said just
straight out of
a cigarette
oh just in time
he said he didn't
catch me.
See sometimes
always kept reinforcing
to dad
the greatness of
salvation
the greatness of
God's grace.
I reckon my father
must have read
every book I had
in the library
on Job
for some reason
rather he had
an obsession
of reading Job
and I just
left him with it.
See as we go
through
so we have
remnants
of the sinful
nature
of one of us
oh I recommend
you get that book
by John Owen
you know
Portifying the
deeds of the body
or the indwelling
sin within the believer
I had one here
the last time I was here
there was three
of Owen's works
in one volume
and the English
had been
made into this
century rather
than the 16th
yeah that's
the one
three volume
three
three and one
yeah death
of death
yeah that's
the one
yeah that's
the one I had
it's fantastic
it gives you
a picture
of what we're
like
yeah
we don't
fight
against
flesh and
blood
but we
you know
a sinful
nature
is a thing
that comes
up against
all the time
so
we need
to confess
our sins
lay them
down
you know
you know
see the whole
idea of
confessional
that grew
in the church
was not a
bad idea
but it got
out of hand
people had
to try on
a dollar or
two in the
finish
but we
too should
confess
our sins
we're told
what
confess our
faults
one to
another
well that
takes a
bit of
the gift
of conversation
gossip
or whatever
you might
want
and so
you see
we
need to
look at
now
also
we need
to remember
that if
we're
unforgiving
when
Jesus
is saying
that if
you
refuse
to
forgive
your
Heavenly
Father
this is
why
people say
why are we
going to be
forgive
because
there has
consequences
in your
life and
mine
I've seen
people that
as I've
already said
hold it
to their
chest
being
unforgiven
the people
don't
want to
be
restored
because
they're
happy
as soon as
he was free
to go and
do something
he got
forgiven
he goes
and he
extracts the
last
sent from
this other
bloke he
said no
really
and we
can be
just like
that
we want
to have
forgiveness
but
let me
get even
with this
other bloke
I'll get
it out
four hundred
and eighty five
four hundred
and eighty five
four hundred and
eighty six
four hundred and
eighty seven
four hundred and eighty
seven times
seventy
that's not given
as a number
where we say
oh we're keeping
in check here
ah we've reached
this one
four hundred and
seventy one
that's it
you're not
going to get
forgiven
is it
that forgiveness
is based on the
work of Christ
upon Calvary's
cross
it's working
through
if you
refuse to
forgive
our Heavenly
Father will
discipline
and severely
your sin
of unforgiveness
the power of
the unforgiven
service is
often
misunderstood
and the
context
contains
something of
the scriptures
which is truth
about
I've given it
for Matthew
six
and we had this
this morning
Matthew six
and ah
verse twelve
forgive us
our debts
as we also
forgive
our debtors
that's the
consequences of
action
I must tell you
about this
I had a
poor possibility
of the presbyterian
many years ago
out of Ballarat
and I got up there
and they always
say the Lord's prayer
I got up in this
this is beside the message
now and I got up in this
pulpit and it's like a
crows nest that's off a wall
and I
and you climb round the ladder
and it goes round
and it's up here about here somewhere
about fifteen feet above
contradiction
and it creaked and
groaned all the way with me
going up and I thought
I was going to tear off a wall
with me heart
and
I got to the
Father which in heaven
hallowed be your name
and your
I couldn't think of what
else come next
well it's terrible when that happens
here's something you know so well
here's something we know so well
about
forgiving our debtors
as we forgive our debtors
you see
the Jewish custom
what was the
there was a year of
what?
Jubilee
where all the debts were wiped clean
the other old Pope
the old
John Paul
had a year where they tried
to get everybody
to wipe
clean everything
you know
he didn't want to
affect
effect our
home town
no that's not him
lead us on a
temptation to deliver us
from the evil
for if we
forgive men
when they sin against us
your heavenly Father
will forgive
you
these are weighty words here
you know
forgive you
but if you do not
forgive
men their sins
your Father
will not
forgive
your sins
now this deserves a lot
more time I know
this passage of scripture
but it's teaching us
how to live here
it's challenges
in relation
maybe
this Peter might
do a series
I don't know
arranging Peter
preaching roster
for the next whatever
but you see
there is a need
for forgiveness
there is a need
for restoration
I remember
I took on
on
upsets
in a church once
and they had
one half of the church
it was a clever photo
they had one half
of the church
facing this way
and the other half
of the church
facing that way
now brethren
used to build buildings
that were a bit like that
anyway so
we had one building
that all
the front
the back
all faced
the front
and you come in
and look at the front
first
it was a weird sort
of a setup
you come in
and think about forgiveness
it's a very big challenge
for us
how many times
how many times
if we offence
it's sincerely forgotten
can we hold it
against the offender again
forgiveness means
getting on with the task
after it's been forgiven
and so
this is a real challenge
and so
we're faced
with this constantly
in our families
our teenagers
our homes
our children
loved ones
I just recently spent
a fair bit of time
with my aunt
and she's telling me
about something
that happened to her
I said I've got to ask you
something
when was this
and she said
oh well
it was when
Uncle Herb
and Auntie Mary got married
and how long
have they been dead
I said
why worry about it
why
I find it out as though
it's all happened yesterday
I think this happened
because of part of our
former mates
by the way
does forgiveness then
have a limit
common centrists
seem to suggest
that repeat offenders
should
not be
granted
pardon
indefinitely
well I'm going to tell you
San Francisco
have just come down
and I rather like
the way they
dealt with the
road rangers
the people that get out
and do wheelies
down the road
if you caught a second time
that's it
and they had a photo
of what was going to happen
and these two young blokes
had two new Hondas
and a Honda doesn't look
much of a Honda
when they're that square
they just put it in the press
and flatten it for them
that stopped the road rangers
there's been no more deaths
since they've been
taking their cars
and scratching them
right down to a little block
that big
it seems to have stopped it
so old auntie
has come down
very tight
on road rage
you can tear on up and down
the road
wheelies and burnouts
has consequence
actually sometimes
does have consequences
right
do we keep count
when nothing can do
will give true forgiveness
sometimes
we've got to hand them over
the Bible tells us
hand them
Paul handed them over
to Satan
sometimes we've got to
hand people over to the Lord
and leave them with the Lord
you see
we've got to be accountable
to the Lord
for the things we do
in the body
and when we fail
to get
a proper restoration
or proper thing
sometimes we've got to
hand it over to the Lord
I've had to do that too
a number of times
with people
so then
true forgiveness
we cannot hold
forever against
the offender
what's our response
I want to take us
over just briefly
to
1 Corinthians
and then we've got to
head home I suppose
1 Corinthians
13
and 5
and he's talking about
and he's talking about
love is patient
love is kind
does not envy
does not boast
it is not proud
it is not rude
it's not self seeking
I like the way that's translated
not self seeking
it's incredible
when you start thinking
it is not easily
argued
it keeps
no score of wrongs
and
um
delight
love does not delight in evil
but rejoices in the truth
it always protects
and always trusts
always hopes
always
perseveres
and sometimes
you've got to
out run somebody
when they're doing things wrong
you know
I know that
there's parents
that have had to do that
with their children
when everything goes wrong
I've seen
Christian parents
have suffered
greatly sometimes
their children
get right off the rail
right off the track
I've had them weep
prayed with them
in the past for ministry
there were families
that had just screwed up
on drugs
one guy
he was 17 or something
he got his life
in such a mess
and he wanted to get
his attention
and shot himself
through the
he had to wear a bag
ever since
you know
terrible things had happened
are they less the
family's son
of course they're not
of course they're not
those actions
had consequences
for that boy
and at 29 years of age
it wasn't until then
after all these years
they knelt on his knees
and asked Christ
to come into his life
and his life was changed
I've prayed for a lass
for 32 years
with a family
I was born with
when I first went to Victoria
she's a lovely
growing Christian
God has worked in her life
I trust that
in the days to come
God will work in your life
when we see
the work through issues
that you work
by the grace of God
at some of these things
they're not going to happen
sometimes how we want them
they're not going to
work out sometimes
the way you think
it should happen
right
and we might say
at times life is just not fair
but these things happen
you know
you have disappointment
we'd have loved four children
just imagine
four boys all like Merv Top
it'd have driven you nuts
right
but God has been good to us
we have family
that call us mum and dad
and ma and pa
we've had the privilege
of holding them
all in our hands
at one time or another
all getting too heavy now
to hold in our hands
and so Christians ought to be
the most forgiving people
on
God's earth
and of course they have
forgiven
they have been forgiven
no one else has
therefore
refused to forgive
worthily
the most
severe kind of discipline
from the hand of a loving father
those whom the father loves
he disciplines
and sometimes we do
and can come under
the disciplining hand of God
if we continue to be rebellious
and not allow
God to work in our lives
we've got to cast ourselves
back on the Lord
genuine forgiveness
is not fudging or suggesting
something
it's a genuine repentance
a genuine return
we've been freely
given freely
so we
desire to be
freely forgiven
it means ending the bitterness
laying aside anger
and refusal
to do things
the way God has asked us to do
it comes back to us constantly
I want to leave you with
one passage of scripture
over in Jeremiah
Jeremiah
and I love this passage of scripture
I've got it
underlined in my Bible
and it's marvelous
verse 34
no longer
will a man teach his neighbor
nor a man his brother
saying no the Lord
because they will know
me from the least of them
to the greatest
because the Lord
I will forgive their wickedness
and remember their sin
no more
oh the grace of God
friends as we
go from here
I hope that
how
meditations
and sharing with you tonight
or today
has been encouragement to you
has been a building up for you
I'd love to dunk better
but I know that
we can cast our eyes
to just look away to him
trust him
for the days to come
sometimes we've got to
ask the Lord to work
by the power of the word of God
through the Holy Spirit
and the lives of people
we want to see a movement
in their lives
and sometimes
we've just got to
commit all that
to the Lord
sometimes we've just
plainly
got to wait
the most exciting thing
that I've had
in these recent days
is to have my nephew
turn me up
30 years of age
he says Uncle Merv
I want to share something with you
I've been praying for him
since he was
that big
I've just trusted the Lord
as my Saviour
I got myself out
a spare Thompson Chain reference
and got it to him
as quickly as possible
and then top it all off
his son comes home
and his son
he shifted school
because of bullying
and he went to a Christian school
he came home the other week
or a couple of weeks
a month or two ago
and said
Dad
I've committed my life to Christ
you see
for the long run
that's what we're here for
to see lives change
sometimes it takes
a long time
to see that change
like I said
34 years for one less
and I've been praying
for all those
that have wandered away
from the Lord
oh I trust
that you might see
something
of the Spirit of God
in your own lives
as God works at his fine
design and plan
you know sometimes
we like the tapestry
looking at tapestry
from the back end
of it
you know the other side
it's all
strings going everywhere
it doesn't make much sense
you know
we turn the tapestry over
and all of a sudden
we see this
wonderful design
that God is working out
and he is the one
that brings it to completion
can we sing that hymn
that we have up on the board here
5
5
8