This message on 2 Corinthians 4:13-18 was preached at Arbor Oaks Bible Chapel in Dubuque, Iowa (2012). This message deals with the question of what fueled Paul's courage and perseverance? Conviction that is rooted in Biblical truth, and maintaining the eternal perspective on our circumstances fueled Paul's courage and perseverance. Do we have that same conviction and eternal perspective?

I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a man. Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ and the founders of empires, and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist. There is between Christianity and whatever other religions the distance of infinity. ―Napolean Bonaparte

Who is Jesus?

Jesus once asked the question of his disciples, “Who do people say that I am” and after some answers he quickly followed with a second more important question, “But who do you say that I am.” (Matt 16:13-15). This is life’s greatest question and our whole eternity is hinging on the correct response. C.S. Lewis once stated: “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”¹

The study of who Jesus Christ is and what he did is something that deserves our lifelong pursuit until as Paul says we see him face to face (1 Cor 13:12). The study of Christ is referred to as Christology. This lesson will survey the study of Christ from his preexistence to his future return and earthly reign. Did Jesus exist prior to his birth? How did the Old Testament point to Jesus? What is the incarnation? What is the biblical evidence that Jesus was both God and man? What is Jesus doing right now? What will his future reign look like? These are some of the questions that this lesson is designed to answer.

The Eternality and Preexistence of Christ

The eternality of the Messiah was stated as early as in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Isaiah 9:6 reads: “For a child has been born to us a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called: . . ., Everlasting Father (cf. Micah 5:2). Here the “son” to be born is described as the “Everlasting Father.” But how can a son be “everlasting” and how can he be father? Clearly, something unique is being said about this promised son. This son is identified in the New Testament as Jesus Christ (Is 7:14; Matt 1:23). Also, John points to the preexistence of the Word who became flesh at the outset of his gospel where he states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning . . . The Word became flesh (John 1:1-2, 14). The Word clearly refers to Jesus Christ. John the Baptist also gives testimony about Jesus’ preexistence: “On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am, because he existed before me’ (John 1:29-30). Even though John the Baptist was older than Jesus, John states that he existed before him. Lastly, in a conversation with his fellow Jews Jesus gave testimony himself about his preexistence prior to His birth. “The Judeans replied, “You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am!” (John 8:57-58). That sums it up pretty well. In summary, Jesus not only existed prior to his birth, but he also existed from all eternity past. This means that Jesus was not a created being but rather eternal God.

Christ in the Old Testament

Since Jesus Christ did exist prior to his birth and is the promised Messiah, then a question one could ask is how and where he is seen in the Old Testament. A very important testimony regarding Christ in the Old Testament can be found spoken by Jesus himself in the gospel of Luke. “Then he [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). The reference to the Law, Prophets and Psalms is a reference to the threefold division of the Old Testament canon sometimes referred to as the Tanakh.² We should expect to find Christ in all the sections of the Old Testament. Besides general designations for God, there are three primary ways that Christ can be seen in the Old Testament: direct prophecy, typological prophecy, and what is called theophanies or christophanies.

Direct prophecy

Direct prophecy refers Old Testament passages that give explicit predictions of the coming Messiah. These predictions then are fulfilled in Jesus Christ some of them at the first advent. A good example of this is the prophecy of the virgin birth: “For this reason the sovereign master himself will give you a confirming sign. Look, this young woman is about to conceive and will give birth to a son. You, young woman, will name him Immanuel” (Is 7:14; cf. Matt 1:23).³ Other direct prophecies will be fulfilled at the second advent when Jesus returns to earth. A good example of this is found in Zechariah 14. “Then the Lord will go to battle and fight against those nations, just as he fought battles in ancient days. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which lies to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, leaving a great valley. Half the mountain will move northward and the other half southward” (Zech 14:3-4).

Typological Prophecy:

Typological prophecy refers to Old Testament people, places and events that are intended by God to illustrate and point forward to Jesus’ Christ’s person or his work. Sometimes these prophecies are explicitly validated in the New Testament and other times they are not. A good example of this was the Passover Lamb sacrifice instituted by God in Exodus 12. The Lamb had to be male and perfect. Its blood had to be applied to the house for the angel of death to pass over it. This sacrifice would then point forward to the ultimate Passover sacrifice that God would accept. Paul makes this explicit tie when he states, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor 5:7).

Theophanies

Various manifestations or appearances of God himself in the Old Testament are referred to as theophanies. These are sometimes called christophanies if one makes an explicit connection by later revelation to the second member of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. One example of this, in my view, is the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament who is equated with God in Exodus 3:1-6. This Angel followed Israel as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exod 13:21; 14:19). The New Testament makes an allusion to this which appears to specify this Angel as Christ. Paul writes, “For they [the Israelites in the wilderness] were all drinking from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ” (1 Cor 10:4 cf. Exod 17:6).

The Incarnation of Christ

What does the incarnation refer to? In short the word means “in flesh” and it refers to God, who is spirit, taking the form of human flesh. A more precise theological definition would be that the incarnation “defines the act wherein the eternal God, the Son took to Himself an additional nature, humanity, through the virgin birth.”⁴ One of the main biblical passages on the incarnation is from John 1:14: “Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us” (John 1:14). Another important passage is from Paul, “Christ Jesus . . . who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature (Phil 2:6-7). This emptying was not emptying Jesus of his deity, rather it was the adding of his human nature into a humble situation to even death on a cross. C. S. Lewis well articulated, “The Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men might become the sons of God.”

The Humanity of Christ

The result of the incarnation was that the preexistent Christ became a man, and as such Jesus experienced the realm of humanity. Luke emphasizes this when he says, “And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40). Jesus had the title of Son of Man (Matt 8:20) which was the most common way he referred to himself. He had the human lineage of son of Abraham and David (Matt 1:1). As a man Jesus was: hungry (Matt 4:2); thirsty (John 19:28); grew tired (John 4:6); grieved to the point of tears (John 11:35); tempted (Matt 4:1); experienced physical death (Luke 23:46). In short he was a man and he experienced humanity to the full. He was one of us. The only qualification one would have to make regarding Jesus’ humanity is that while he came in the “flesh” he came only in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom 8:3), and that while he was tempted in all things as we are, he was without sin (Heb 4:15). At the same time, sin is not an essential part of humanity the way God created man. After God created Adam and Eve, they were perfectly and fully human and God declared it good. God even stated it was very good prior to the sin that led to man’s fall (Gen 1:31; Gen 3). In the first and second century A.D., there was a heretical movement known as Gnosticism which denied that God who is good could take on an actual human body which they thought was sinful. In essence, they were deniers of the doctrine of the incarnation (cf. 1 John 4:2).⁵

The Deity of Christ

Jesus is not only presented in the Bible as a man but he is also presented as having the nature of God. He has a unique identity with the Father. Jesus stated, “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30) and “the person who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Also, Jesus had the titles of Son of God (John 10:36) as well as Lord and God (Matt 8:20). He is equated with Yahweh in the Old Testament (1 Cor 2:16; Is 40:13). As God Jesus is creator (Col 1:15-16), had power over nature (Matt 8:26), had power over death (John 11), forgave sin (Mark 2:1-12) and rules as God (Heb 1:8). He was and is the exact representation of God inwardly and outwardly (Heb 1:1-4). Martin Luther stated, “If Christ does not remain the true natural God . . . then we are lost. For what good would be the suffering and death of the Lord Christ do me if He were merely a man such as you and I are? Then He would not have been able to overcome the Devil, death and sin. He would have been far too weak for them and could not have helped us.”⁶

The theological term used to describe the teaching of the two natures of Christ, divine and human, is called the hypostatic union and was articulated at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D⁷. A simple definition of the hypostatic union is this. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man (= two natures) united in one person.⁸ In other words, Jesus is the God-Man.

The Roles of Jesus

While this is most certainly too simplistic, it is nonetheless helpful that Jesus is sometimes described as prophet (first advent ministry), priest (death on the cross and current ministry) and king (his rule now from heaven and in the future on earth). The earthly ministry of Jesus can be divided into two major activities, his words and his works. He called people to repentance and associated with sinners (Matt 4:17; Mark 2:16); he identified with humanity (Matt 1:23); he rebuked hypocritical religion (Matt 23); he gave sermons (like the Sermon on the Mount; cf. Matt 5-7); he drew lessons from life (such as parables)(cf. Matt 13), he gave prophecies about the future (Matt 24); he selected, trained and commissioned the 12 (Matt 4:18-22), he did miracles (Matt 8-9); he revealed the Father (John 17) and so much more.

The Passion of Christ

About one third of the gospels cover the last week of Jesus’ life. This shows the importance of these final events in Jesus’ earthly life to the gospel writers. Jesus clearly stated the reason for his coming: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:25).

The following is a short chronology of the last week of Jesus’ life: On Saturday, Jesus arrives at Bethany at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus (Matt 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 11:55-12:11). This town is near the Mount of Olives a short walk to Jerusalem. Here Jesus is anointed for burial with the expensive oil (John 12:1-7). On Sunday, there is what is termed the triumphal entry as Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey (Matt 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19). Here the people shout out, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” which can be understood as save now, the promised Messiah. On Monday, Jesus drives out the money changers in the Temple and later curses an unfruitful fig free symbolizing the dire state of Israel’s condition (Matt 21:12-19; Mark 11:12:18; Luke 19:45-48). In the temple he rebukes them saying, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are turning it into a den of robbers!” (Matt 21:13). On Tuesday, Jesus’ authority is debated with the Jewish leadership, the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees (Matt 21:23-23; Mark 11:27-12:40; Luke 20:1-47). The story of the widow who out of her poverty gives a very small amount (a mite = less than a penny) happens in the midst of this turmoil (Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4). The Olivet Discourse explains the fact of the Temple’s future destruction and circumstances surrounding the second coming of Jesus (Matt 24-25; Mark 13:1-37; Luke 21:5-36). The main point is to “be ready” for the coming of the Son of Man. On Thursday, events really start to pick up. First Jesus is betrayed by Judas one of the twelve. (Matt 26:17-25; Mark 14: 12-21; Luke 22: 7-13, 21-23). Washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:1-20), the Last Supper (Matt 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-20) and the Upper Room Discourse (John 14-17) give Jesus the opportunity to give some final teaching to the disciples. After Jesus’ prayer in a garden called Gethsemane (Matt 26:30, 36-46; Mark 14: 26, 32-42; Luke 22: 39-46; John 18:1) the arrest occurs (Matt 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12) and the trials of Jesus start. On Friday, the trials continue when Jesus appears before the Sanhedrin, the Roman Governor Pilate and Herod Antipas (Matt 26:57-27:31; Mark 14:53-15:15; Luke 22:54-23:25; John 18:12-19:6). At the verdict and scourging Pilate tries to release Jesus but the crowd wants death. Pilate asks “Why? What wrong has he done?” They shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!” Jesus then is placed on the cross (Matt 27:31-34; Mark 15:20-23; Luke 23:26-33; John 19:16-17).

The last words of Jesus on the cross give us a glimpse of Jesus’ concern and mindset in his final hours. Seven of these sayings are recorded in the gospels and while a lot can be said about each one perhaps just a reading of them without comment has a powerful impact when they are seen together: “Father, forgive them; for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). “He said to his mother, ‘Woman, look, here is your son!’ He then said to his disciple, ‘Look, here is your mother!’”(John 19:26-27). “‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Matt 27:46). “I am thirsty” (John 19:28). “It is completed" (John 19:30). “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).

The Resurrection of and Ascension of Christ

Jesus predicted his resurrection (Matt 16:21). If he would not have been raised from the dead he would have been considered a false prophet. After Jesus died, his tomb was guarded by a Roman guard and sealed with the Roman seal (Matt 27:62-66). Yet the tomb was opened, Jesus came out in a resurrected physical body and it became empty. The empty tomb that was guarded and sealed continues to be one of the strongest proofs of Jesus’ resurrection. There is also the eyewitness testimony of the disciples that they were willing to die for. He was seen by the disciples and over 500 brethren (1 Cor 15:1-7). He talked with them and ate with them (Luke 24:39-43). After 40 days of being with the disciples, Jesus was taken up into heaven from the Mount of Olives. This is referred to as the ascension. Luke records, “After he [Jesus] had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight” (Acts 1:9).

The Current Ministry of Christ and the Second Advent

While many studies about Jesus focus on what he did at his first advent or even what he will do at his second advent, Jesus is not inactive in the present age. He has a current role and ministry. Christ is the head of the body directing the activities of the church. Paul teaches, “He [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church” (Col 1:18). Also, Christ as High Priest intercedes in prayer on our behalf. The author of Hebrews states, “So he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Heb 7:25). What a wonderful proclamation about Jesus praying for us which keeps us and our salvation in God’s omnipotent grip. Robert Murray McCheyne once stated, “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet the distance makes no difference; He is praying for me.”⁹

The second coming of Jesus Christ can be divided into two major parts. The first is the coming in blessing for the church, which is referred to as the rapture. The word rapture means “caught up.” The primary passage on it occurs in 1 Thess 4:16-17.¹⁰ There Paul writes, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess 4:16-17).

The second phase is the coming in judgment for the world and the rule of Jesus on the earth. John writes, “Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called ‘Faithful’ and ‘True,’ and with justice he judges and goes to war” (Rev 19:11). After Jesus comes back to earth he will set up his rule. Jesus himself said in Matthew: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne” (Matt 25:31).

Summary

Amazing! Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Lord, the Savior, the Alpha and Omega, the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Son of David, the Word, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God, the Bread of Life, the light of the World, Judge, Prophet, Priest, King, Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords and much more. As John states if everything that Jesus said and did were recorded there would not be enough books in the world to contain it (John 21:25). In closing, contemplate Jesus as described in the hymn “I Saw One Hanging on the Tree” by John Newton.

I saw One hanging on a tree,
In agony and blood;
He fixed His loving eyes on me,
As near His cross I stood.

Sure, never to my latest breath,
Can I forget that look;
It seemed to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke.

My conscience felt and owned the guilt,
And plunged me in despair:
I saw my sins His blood had spilt
And helped to nail Him there.

A second look He gave, which said,
“I freely all forgive:
This blood is for your ransom paid,
I die that you may live.”

Discussion Questions

1. How does preexistence differ from the eternality of Christ?
2. What objections have you heard in regards to the deity of Jesus?
3. How do the Jehovah witnesses, Mormons or Muslims view Jesus?
4. Why do you think Jesus did miracles?
5. Why didn’t the Jewish leadership accept Jesus as Messiah?
6. Who was responsible for Jesus’ death?
7. Why was the sacrifice of Jesus necessary for God to forgive our sin?
8. What is the evidence for the resurrection and what would the consequences be if Jesus was not raised from the dead?
9. How should Jesus as head of the church affect us in our local churches? Do people in the church understand this concept?
10. Why do you think the Bible tells us that Jesus is coming back?
11. Where is Jesus coming back to and what will he do when he gets there?

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¹ C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: The McMillian Company, 1952), 58.

² The Tanakh refers to the Torah = Law, the Nebiim = Prophets, and the Kethubiim = the Writings.

³ Matthew 1:23 reads, “Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel,” which means “God with us.” Note that the Hebrew word translated “young woman” in Is 7:14 in the context of Old Testament Israel would normally refer to young woman who was a virgin and the Greek translation of the Old Testament specifically translates it as virgin as well as the fulfillment of the passage in the Greek New Testament regarding the virgin birth of Jesus.

⁴ Peter Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology – Revised and Expanded (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2008), 713.

⁵ John seems to write against Gnosticism in 1 John 1:5–8; 4:1–3. One major form of Gnosticism was called “Docetism” = the Christ only appeared to be human (cf. 1 John 1:1–4; 4:2; John 1:14). Also, “Cerinthianism” taught that the divine Christ descended on the human Jesus at his baptism and left before his death (cf. 1 John 5:6).

⁶ Roy Zuck, The Speakers Quote Book (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2009), 74.

⁷ Charles Ryrie, Basic Theology (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1987), 534.

⁸ A longer definition of the Hypostatic Union is, “A theological expression that refers to the dual nature of Christ. God the Son took to Himself a human nature and He remains forever true God and true man—two natures in one person forever. The two natures remain distinct without any intermingling, but they nevertheless compose one person, Christ the God-man.” Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, 713.

⁹ Zuck, The Speakers Quote Book, 78.

¹⁰ The other major passage on the Rapture is, “Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:51-53).

I. Jesus Begins His Ministry “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (4:12-17).

a.       “Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.”

i.  John the Baptist was arrested:

1.      John had been arrested—this is picked back up in chapter 11.

2.      John had publicly challenged Herod the tetrarch’s adultery and was jailed for it. The atmosphere became increasingly hostile to the message of repentance, and so Jesus moved north to the countryside of Galilee.

ii.                        Application:

1.      John the Baptist is arrested.

2.      His ministry is now basically over.

3.      I’m sure he would have LOVED to be part of the rest of Jesus’ ministry, but God sovereignly brings an end to John’s ministry.

4.      Great little lesson here:  Sometimes we need to acknowledge that our purpose and desire is not the same as God’s purpose and desire.

5.      There are all too many examples of people who hang on to their ministry LONG after there time has come to an end.

6.      Sometimes, like John, we need to recognize God’s sovereign plan and relinquish our desires for what God desires.

b.      (MAP of Jesus Ministry)

i.  Beginning with 4:12, and extending through chapter 18, Jesus’ ministry takes place primarily in the region around the Sea of Galilee.

ii.                        The Great Galilean Ministry (27 AD)

1.      Massive crowds.

a.       Galilee was heavily populated.

b.      It wasn’t like Judea, which was more remote, and backwoods.

c.       Jesus leaves Nazareth and moves to Capernaum by the sea, so that prophecy might be fulfilled.

i.  15-16

1.      Matthew quotes from the OT (Is. 9).

a.       Every Jew who knew their Bibles would have been familiar with this quotation, or at least the context.

b.      This is the same portion of Scripture where the Messiah is said to bring a renewed covenant blessing on Israel; the removal of the oppressor’s yoke; the birth of the promised child, whose name will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace”

ii.                        Notice:

1.      Here is Jesus in Galilee and He reaches out to the gentiles.

a.       V. 15 says, “Galilee of the Gentiles.

2.      His purpose is to bring light to those dwelling in darkness.

a.       These people are in total darkness.

b.      This area is filled with poor Jews and Gentiles.

c.       The people are in darkness, and they don’t even know it.

d.      The light has dawned.***

e.       This is foreshadowing the Great Commission going to every tribe and tongue.

iii.                      Jesus is bringing light to the Gentiles…

1.      Jesus is the light of the world.

a.       He exposes sin.

b.      He reveals the truth.

c.       He reveals hidden motives and the human heart.

d.      He is like a giant spotlight moving through Israel exposing spiritual darkness and giving life and truth.

e.       John 8:12, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

2.      The world is in a state of darkness.

a.       John 3:19, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

b.      Eph. 5:8-9, “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

3.      Satan is the prince of darkness.

a.       Eph. 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood…but against…this present darkness…”

4.      The greatest need in the world is spiritual light.

a.       John 12:46, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

5.      Christ’s light exposes sin:

a.       The world is in darkness.

b.      We all have a tendency to live in the dark.

c.       But God’s light reveals reality.  It reveals what’s really there.

6.      Billy Graham interview…

a.       TV reporters brought in all kinds of lights as they set up the interview, and Ruth Graham noted how many cobwebs were in the corner.  She was horrified.  She had never noticed them before.

b.      That’s what light does.

iv.                      “from that time {on}” 4:17, 16:21.

1.      In v. 17 we now come to the end of the first major section of this Gospel (1:1–4:16).

a.       Matthew has now painted us an introduction to the life of Jesus.

2.      The next time he says it is in chapter 16, where He heads to Jerusalem.

d.      “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

i.  This statement marks the beginning of Jesus ministry.

ii.                        It was His slogan.  A summary of His message.

iii.                      It was the exact same message that John the Baptist.

iv.                      There were two major points to Jesus’ preaching:

1.      Repentance

2.      The Kingdom of heaven.

e.       Repentance:

i.  What was meant by repent?

1.      To turn around, change orientation.

2.      Change perception.

3.      It’s a change of heart, will, and behavior.

ii.                        There is no such thing as a Christianity with no repentance.  If you have not, and do not repent, you cannot be in this kingdom.

iii.                      Illustration:

1.      On my plane ride back from Hungary last week, on one leg of my flight, I sat next to a lady named Willow, from Santa Cruz CA, who was retired, and a volunteer with the Red Cross and was serving people in NJ who were affected by Hurricane Sandy.

2.      She was very enjoyable to talk to.

3.      We soon began to talk about religion and she told me she was a Yogi, and had travelled to India to study under her guru.  She confessed this wasn’t really working for her and she was left exhausted and searching for something else.

4.      She asked about Christianity and what was the essential message of Christianity is different from Hinduism in that God is separate from creation, not part of creation.  She was very interested.

5.      It was a delightful conversation and she confessed she had never really talked to a Christian before about these things.

6.      I told her the essential message that Jesus preached was that people need to repent, and trust in Christ to be saved.

7.      She said, very kindly, “Oh I don’t really like that.  I don’t think people need to be saved from anything.”

iv.                      The sentiment was no more popular in Jesus day.

1.      Telling people to “repent, of you will perish” wasn’t a crowd-pleaser.

2.      This was the negative aspect of Jesus’ preaching.

3.      You are going the wrong way!

4.      Turn around and go towards God!

5.      Confess sins!

6.      If only this woman could have recognized her spiritual darkness, and turned to Christ who is light!

7.      So many people are sitting in spiritual darkness, but refuse to see the light.

f.        The kingdom of heaven:

i.  Jesus then said, “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

1.      Kingdom of heaven is synonymous with the Kingdom of God, I don’t want to go in to detail about that, but we will use these terms interchangeably.

ii.                        What did Jesus mean by this phrase?

1.      First off, there is no indication that Jesus is talking about anything OTHER than what the Old Testament prophets proclaimed.

2.      An earthy, geo-political, kingdom of Heaven on earth, with a Messiah ruling and reigning from Jerusalem who would be a Prince of Peace and yet rule the nations with a rob of iron.

3.      In other words, Jesus is saying that “the book of Daniel will be fulfilled, and I'll do it.  So if you want in, then the very first thing you need to do is repent.”

4.      Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is coming to pass, and I am the fulfillment!

iii.                      What is this kingdom??

1.      Interestingly, Jesus never gave a definition of the kingdom.  So it should be assumed that Jesus understood his audience to have the basic understanding from the OT, even if their ideas are a little off.

2.      Simply put, the kingdom is “God’s reign.”

3.      In his model prayer, Jesus indicated that God’s reign is complete in heaven, but that it is not yet complete on earth.

4.      The prophets foretold a time when everything and everyone on earth would submit to the will of God. To date, this has not happened. This world’s present mess is Satan’s doing.

iv.                      Jesus is not so much the new Moses, but the new Joshua.

1.      Moses never entered the Promised Land, but Joshua does.

2.      John the Baptist proclaims the kingdom and is followed by Jesus who leads people in to it.

g.      The kingdom is “at hand.”

i.  This didn’t mean that the Kingdom had come in all its fullness, as Daniel and the prophets envisioned, but it was being offered in the Person of Jesus, Himself.

ii.                        The Kingdom was near, because Jesus was near.

iii.                      The King and His Kingdom are inextricably linked.

iv.                      Remembering this, helps explain a lot of confusion.

II.                      Jesus Calls and Trains His First Disciples “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (4:18-22).

a.       Jesus calls Peter and Andrew to be his disciples.

i.  I always am reminded by Norman MacLean’s book, and the popular movie “A River Runs Through It.”

ii.                        Where he says of his father, who was a Presbyterian minister and a fly-fisherman says, “"He told us about Christ's disciples being fishermen, and we were left to assume...that all great fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishing and that John, the favorite, was a dry fly fisherman."

iii.                      Unfortunately, it seems revisionist history eludes us, and that Peter and Andrew were not fly-fisherman, alas, they used nets…

iv.                      They were common men.  Laborers.  They worked hard with their hands.

v.                         They weren’t poor people, and they most likely weren’t rich, although they probably had a little means because they apparently owned some boats.

b.      And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

i.  “Follow me”

1.      What a statement!

2.      No one else can say this and mean it.

3.      “Live with me and learn by watching me. Own my values and priorities. Learn to follow me in what I love, what I preach, what I think.”

4.      Become passionate for the things I love.

5.      Follow my example.

6.      Following Jesus requires total allegiance and obedience.

a.       This does not mean we must quite our jobs, it actually goes far beyond that.  It means that we follow Jesus in every single area of our lives.

b.      The call to “Follow Him” still stands today, and Jesus is waiting your response.

c.       Discipleship is not an option, it is a calling, a privilege, a duty.

ii.                        Application:

1.      John 21:21, “When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

a.       The call to follow Jesus is personal.

b.      The call to follow Jesus means we don’t compare.

c.        

d.      We look at other churches, compare, and think something is wrong.

e.       We look at other moms, we compare, and think something is wrong.

f.        We look at other servants, compare, and think something is wrong.

2.      Jesus calls his disciples to follow him, and not worry about what others are doing.

c.       “From now on you will catch men…”

i.  Jesus makes a play on words based on Simon and Andrew’s occupation.

ii.                        Like all analogies, all possible points of comparison must not be pressed. Jesus is not implying that being a “fisher of men” involves anything seductive, deceitful, or harmful. Rather, he is pointing out that just as fishermen try to gather fish from the sea, his disciples too will be trying to gather together other individuals who are willing to follow Jesus in radical obedience.

d.      “Immediately they left their nets and followed him…Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

i.  This almost sounds like a hasty decision, but it actually wasn’t.

1.      These men were already acquainted with Jesus as John points out in his gospel.

2.      They had spent some time with Jesus.  It’s possible that that had even spent a year or more with Jesus.

3.      Jesus’ public ministry was about three years:

a.       A year of obscurity.

b.      A year of popularity.

c.       A year of rejection.

ii.                        These men made informed decisions.

1.      But Matthew skips the details and wants to highlight they literally dropped their nets to follow Jesus.

2.      It was wholehearted and prompt.

3.      It was obedience that proved stronger, even than family ties.  James and John left their father, and their business, to follow Jesus.

4.      Sometimes God calls people to leave their jobs, their parents, their comforts, to serve Christ in the ministry.

5.      NOTE: This is not a call for everyone here to quite their job.  However, it might mean that for some.  And for those, this story is a great lesson.

iii.                      “They immediately follow Jesus.”

1.      Matthew is showing us showing Jesus is the King.  He is sovereign.

2.      When the King calls we drop everything and go.

3.      This doesn’t even make sense, but they leave their nets and they go.

4.      What about Dad?  It’s a family owned business.  He wants to pass it on to his boys. But he releases them to the King’s service.

5.      Maybe God is calling you to serve the Lord?

a.       Abe and Lizzy George.  Retired.  Beietiful home in Lakewood.  Their boys are here.

b.      But they move to India to serve the Lord and fish for men.

c.       They risk their lives, they get death threats, but they serve the Lord.

6.      When Jesus calls a person to discipleship, there is no excuse for delay or disobedience.

III.                   Application: Discipleship means evangelism and training.

a.      Catching people implies evangelism.

i.  When we follow Jesus we catch men…

ii.                        This is called evangelism.

1.      This is part of the Great Commission that Jesus gives us!

2.      We are to be soul-winners!

3.      Part of being a disciple, for ANY Christian is that we share the good news of Jesus.

4.      We bear witness.

a.       This doesn’t mean we give a five-point outline everytime we get the chance.  It might just mean we simply bear witness.  We speak up for the Truth.  We take a stand.

5.      We give a book for someone to read, or a tract.

6.      We think in terms of catching people, and snatching them from hell.

iii.                      International Ministry in our back yard…

1.      ACC

2.      Refugees

3.      We need to catch International student at ACC.

4.      This is a call for some leaders to reach international students in our back door.

b.      Catching people implies training and discipleship.

i.  Jesus is interested in catching and training people.

1.      Jesus is interested in propagating the future.

2.      He isn’t just interested in evangelism, He’s interested in training.

ii.                        Our Lord Jesus Christ was the master trainer of men.

1.      He spent an enormous amount of time training men.

a.       Luke 6:12, (He spent all night praying about these men).

2.      He even calls certain gifted men to call and challenge others!  That’s HIS plan.

a.       Eph. 4:11-12, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

i.  Pastor-elders are to lead and feed call and challenge.

b.      Some of you elders should be equipping others.

i.  1 Tim. 5.

3.      A.B. Bruce in his classic work, The Training of the Twelve writes this (pg. 13), “The great Founder of the faith desires not only to have disciples, but to have about Him men whom He might train to make disciples of others.  Both from His words and His actions we can see that He attached supreme importance to that part of His work, which consisted in training the twelve.  The careful, painstaking education of the disciples secured that the Teachers influence on the world should be permanent.”

iii.                      Jesus was IN to discipleship and training people.

1.      “Follow me.”

2.      The best training is imitating.

3.      My boy does this.

a.       I put my cowboy boots on, Ryle puts his cowboy boots on.

b.      I want to watch football, Ryle wants to watch football.

c.       I change a flat tire.  Ryle wants to change the tire.

d.      I spit. He spits.

e.       I cuss. He cusses.  JK!!

f.        We are natural imitators.

iv.                      Paul was a trainer of men.

1.      Paul says “Imitate me” too.

2.      Paul had his Timothy’s and Titus’s!  He gave them large parts of his life.  He was with them and trusted them with difficult jobs.

3.      Acts 20, “For I did not shrink from declaring to you.”  He taught.  He declared.  He trained.

4.      We still know the names of the people Paul trained.

5.      Timothy did the same thing…

v.                         Spiritual dominos

1.      Richard Stearns, President of World Vision wrote an article a few years ago in World Vision magazine entitled “Spiritual Dominos”

2.      Stearns tells this story of catching and training people…

3.      “In the 1880s, Robert Wilder, a missionary kid from India, was preparing to return to the mission field. During college, he even signed a pledge along with friends to become a missionary. But because he was so physically frail, he never fulfilled that pledge. Instead, he encouraged others to take up the task. One domino fell.

4.      During a preaching tour that took Robert through Chicago, he spoke to an audience that included Samuel Moffett. Samuel also signed Robert's pledge, and within two years he landed in Korea. Another domino fell.

5.      A few years later, Samuel shared the gospel with a man who had become disillusioned with his Taoist practice. Kiel Sun-chu trusted Christ, and quickly another domino fell.

6.      In 1907, Kiel was one of the leaders of the Pyongyang revival. In January of that year, spontaneous prayer and confession broke out during regular church meetings. Thousands of dominoes fell. Those days of fervent prayer are now considered the birth of an independent, self-sustaining Korean church.

7.      When Kiel died in 1935, 5,000 people attended his funeral. The church in Korea now numbers about 15 million, and it sends more foreign missionaries than any other country outside the United States. Millions of dominoes continue to fall.

c.       We need to maintain this focus that Jesus had, of catching people.  Training people.  Making disciples of people.  Teaching them to observe all that Jesus and His apostles taught.

i.  This is our commission and it’s a GREAT!

d.      All of us are called to catch and train people.

i.  This can be formal and informal…

ii.                        2 Tim. 2:2 “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

e.       Here is where many Christians and churches fail.  We have no plan, no philosophy, no forethought given to discipleship.

i.  U.S. News and World Report- family owned businesses and why they fail.

1.      There are tremendous statistics of the economic influence of family owned businesses.  There are thousands of them.

2.      With all of the advantages of the family owned business there are two problems.

a.       #1--The leaders don’t have the time to train their children.  So very few businesses last more than one generation.

b.      #2--They didn’t trust them.

3.      They didn’t train the next generation.

4.      The didn’t trust the next generation.

5.      This applies to the church: we are a family doing gospel business.  We have important things to do—eternal matters.

ii.                        One thing the church family must do is prepare the next generation to perpetuate our beliefs and community.

iii.                      We need to do this with our kids.

IV.                    Jesus ministers to massive crowds with teaching, preaching, and healing (4:23-25).

a.       Here Matthew gives a three-fold summary of Jesus’ ministry.

i.  He went around Teaching, preaching, and healing.

ii.                        This is the best, most concise summary of Christ’s work in the Bible.

b.      Jesus was a teacher.  He taught.

i.  Jesus taught in the synagogues.

1.      The synagogue was a gathering place for the Jews.

2.      Jews came together to study the Law.

ii.                        What did Jesus teach when He was in these synagogues?

1.      We don’t have to guess.  He preached that he was the fulfillment of the coming Son of David.  He would be Isaiah’s Suffering Servant Who is here to reign and rule.

iii.                      In the beginning…God spoke.

1.      The very first thing we learn about God is that He speaks.  He communicates.  And He has a message.  He has a Word.  And all throughout the Old and New Testaments we are called to know and proclaim His Word.

2.      From Moses to the prophets to the Apostles to the church today, we are people with a message.  We have a teaching ministry.

iv.                      Christianity is a religion of revelation.

1.      We are a people who communicate God’s message.

v.                         Quotes:

1.      Dr. James Orr made this profound comment many years ago: “If there is a religion in the world which exalts the office of teaching, it is safe to say that it is the religion of Jesus Christ.”

c.       Jesus was a preacher.  He preached.

i.  Jesus proclaimed (preached) the gospel of the kingdom.

1.      “Preaching is the banner flying atop the castle (seen far and wide), and teaching is the body of bricks and mortar that supports it (sought out by the followers). Teaching fills out the proclamation, explaining both its support and its implications.”

ii.                        What is the gospel?

1.      The good news, or the gospel, is that God sent His Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins, and when we respond to God with faith and repentance we can have peace with God.

iii.                      What is the Gospel of the Kingdom?

1.      The gospel is the kingdom is the bigger picture.  It is the same as the gospel that Paul preaches, but it includes the whole story of Jesus coming, ruling, and reigning.

iv.                      Application:

1.      The primary way Jesus advanced the kingdom was through preaching.

a.       Nothing has changed.

2.      People would rather hear about how to get wealthy, or healthy?  Or how to become successful or become a better You or have your best life NOW.

3.      He preached “Repent!”

4.      The greatest need in the world today is Bible teaching and Bible preaching.

5.      Lloyd Jones reminds us that the great highlights in church history have always revolved around the preaching and teaching of the Word of God:

a.       “Is it not clear, as you take a bird’s-eye view of Church history, that the decadent periods and eras in the history of the Church have always been those periods when preaching had declined?  What is it that always heralds the dawn of a Reformation or of a Revival?  It is renewed preaching....A revival of true preaching has always heralded these great movements in the history of the Church.”

6.      “I constantly maintain that if today’s quest for renewal is not, along with its other concerns, a quest for true preaching, it will prove shallow and barren.” (Packer)

d.      Jesus was a healer.  He healed.

i.  Jesus healed.

1.      These miracles are secondary to the preaching, secondary to the message. 

2.      They authenticated the message.

ii.                        These miracles proved that Jesus was the Promised Messiah.

1.      These are Messianic Miracles!!!****

a.       “Go, show yourself to the priest…”

i.  Ever wonder why He said that?

ii.                        Mat. 11:2-6, “Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

b.      Dead are raised.

c.       Down Syndrome are healed.

d.      Clearly identifiable.

i.  Not like, “My leg was elongated” or  “My headache is gone.”

e.       No one is like Jesus!!!

2.      The four types of miracles.

a.       Nature miracles- his power over nature.

i.  Calming the storm (Mat. 8:23-27)

ii.                        Feeding 5000 (Mat. 14:13-21)

iii.                      Walking on water (Mat. 14:22-33)

iv.                      Water into wine (John 2:1-11)

v.                         Miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11)

vi.                      Fig tree withered (Mat. 21:18-22)

b.      Healing miracles- his power over sickness and disease.

i.  Healing a leper (Mat. 8:2-4)

ii.                        Healing Blind Bartimaeus (Mat. 20:29-34)

iii.                      Healing deaf and mute man (Mark 7:32-37)

iv.                      Healing ten lepers (Mark 17:11-19)

c.       Exorcism miracles- His power over evil.(These were the most popular miracles.)

i.  The Gerasene man (Mat. 8:28-34)

ii.                        Many demon possessed (Mat. 8:16-17)

d.      Resurrection miracles- His power over death.

i.  The widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17)

ii.                        Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:22-24)

iii.                      Lazarus (John 11:1-44)

iii.                      These miracles showed what the kingdom of heaven would be like.

1.      “…and he healed them…”

a.       what words…

2.      Wholeness.

3.      Wellness.

4.      Restoration.

5.      The curse that caused these things is now being reversed.

6.      These miracles showed that the Kingdom of heaven had truly come to earth.

a.       The kingdom is “at hand”

iv.                      These miracles showed that God is compassionate to the suffering.

e.       What about modern healers?

i.  Does God still heal?

1.      Yes.  God still heals.  We pray for it everyday.  We have seen it happen.

2.      But this is different than people who claim they have the gift of healing or supernatural miracles.

ii.                        All of the indicators of false teachers that Peter gives in 2 Peter 2 apply to these teachers:

1. Money is another distinguishing mark of their pseudo-ministries.
1. You can spot them with their large 1800 numbers that you can call and donate to.
2. They will spend a large part of each service or sermon on tithing and giving until it hurts.
2. Meanwhile, they will live in luxury, take extravagant vacations, buy $400 shoes, and get air conditioning for their dog-houses.
1. They will use lines like “God doesn’t want us to be broke.”
3. You will know them by the love of money.

iii.                      These false-ministries are marked by exploiting people, especially the poorest of the poor.

1.      These people are Charlatans.

a.       They are fakes.  Paul calls them “Peddler’s of the Gospel”

2.      Rather than being like Paul who said He was poor making many rich, these guys are rich making many people poor.  The exploit the weak.

3.      And the helpless, weak, vulnerable people turn on their TV’s and see these guys ask them for money to get God’s blessing.

4.      It’s a ponzi scheme.

iv.                      Let me just tell you that there is nothing of Christ in that!

1.      That has nothing to do with Jesus or His good news to the world.

2.      And yet His Name is used and the Bible is used.

3.      But it’s false and it’s destructive and the weak.

4.      The weak give their life savings to the man who owns two jets.  And I think God hates that!

5.      Health, wealth, prosperity, your best life now is what Satan offers.  It’s what he tempted Jesus with.  The lust of the eyes, the pride of life.  It’s satanic.

6.      Further more, any normal natural person would want these things.  This is what the unregenerate person wants!  That’s why it’s so popular.

v.                         Can people be saved in their ministries?

1.      Sure.  Most of these false ministries use Scripture.  But God’s grace some people get saved.

2.      But this isn’t a validation of their ministry.

3.      One theologian I know was saved in a One-ness Pentecostal church.  They deny the Trinity.  It’s a heretical church.  But he was saved there.

vi.                      We, as elders, have an obligation to warn people about false teachers.

1.      We want to have compassion on the people who are duped and give their life savings away to a fraud.

2.      That should make us weep.

vii.                    I was at a church revival where a speaker came in promised miracles and healing and signs and wonders would be done.  The people were excited.

viii.                  But the only so-called healing that were done were people with headaches.

ix.                      The rows of people in wheelchairs and crutches were in the back.

f.        Jesus ministry was totally different.  That’s the point of this section.***

i.  He actually healed people.  He didn’t just heal headaches and elongate legs.

ii.                        He healed every disease and every sickness.

iii.                      When His kingdom comes in fullness, this is what life will be like…

V.                       The Gospel:

a.        

VI.                    Application: What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? (Boice)

a.      Obedience

i.  Jesus says, “Follow me” 13 different times in the gospels.

ii.                        To follow Jesus means you obey Jesus.

iii.                      The apostle John, close personal friend of Jesus, follower of Jesus, made this crystal clear in his letters.

1.      Anyone who says they know Jesus, but don’t obey Him, is a LIAR.

iv.                      Maybe God is calling you to “Follow Him?” and leave your job

b.      Repentance

i.  Mat. 9:13

ii.                        Repentance isn’t something we did once.

iii.                      Paul says that the knowledge of God’s grace teaches us to renounce ungodliness.

iv.                      We move from hungering and thirsting for sin, to hungering and thirsting for righteousness as we see in a few verses.

c.       Submission

i.  He is the Lord.

ii.                        He put on His yoke.  We learn from Him; not the other way around.

iii.                      He is the Lord, we are the bondservants.  The slaves.  Our lives are no longer our own.

d.      Trust

i.  The reason we don’t submit and obey boils down to trust.

ii.                        If we trusted Him, we would obey to Him and submit to Him.

e.       Perseverance

i.  It’s a lifetime commitment.  A marathon, not a sprint.

ii.                        Many people start out great, but they never finish.

Two unforgiving people sat in my office, defiant and afraid. Their lives had just been shattered. Janet had discovered a few days before that her husband, Gary, was involved in an affair with his secretary.

The painful revelation had magnified their differences and deepened the chasm between them. Now, it seemed the only thing they had in common was the inability to forgive.

Janet admitted with clipped irritation: "I know I should forgive him, but I can't do it." Gary quietly murmured, "I just can't forgive myself for the pain I have caused my family." The relationship seemed doomed.

Every day we face both transgressions that cry for forgiveness and God’s unrelenting demand to forgive. Most of us struggle to forgive those who harm us. And the greater the damage, the more difficult it is to forgive.

We often feel confused about what it means to forgive: "Should I just ignore the affair and somehow live as if it didn't happen?"

Other times we feel helpless to forgive those who have exacted a pound of flesh at our expense: "I’ve tried, but I just can't get rid of my bitterness."

Our confusion is natural. God’s relentless demand to forgive, to turn the other cheek, to offer one’s coat to an enemy is at times infuriating, at other times seems illogical, and is always costly. No wonder the requirement to forgive is often seen as noble but impractical, or, just as tragically, applied without wisdom or understanding.

Forgiving others is not an easy concept to understand, let alone to apply. But there is not a more important subject in the Christian life. Let us then explore (I wish I could say answer) the question, What does it mean to love my enemy: the one who sexually abused me; my angry and insensitive spouse; my friend who gossiped behind my back and dam- aged my reputation; or even my child who snarls at my offer to go for a walk?

What is forgiveness?

Perhaps the best place to start in understanding what forgiveness is all about is to look at the way God forgives. God’s forgiveness of us is a passionate movement of strength and mercy toward us, the offenders.

His bold strength is the force of His holiness, which will not rest until all sin is destroyed and His glory shines as the sun. His bold mercy constantly beckons us to return to His embrace, a place of rest and joy. He forgives our sin, but strongly moves to destroy the cancer within us that limits our joy and vitality; simultaneously, He extends arms of mercy to receive us as we turn back to Him. He fully faces the damage we have done while offering us a taste of kindness intended to lead us to repentance and reconciliation.

In the parable of the unmerciful servant, Jesus uses a dramatic picture to portray this kind of forgiveness: A master mercifully cancels an incomprehensible debt, freeing the debtor from imprisonment, shame, and destitution. The only debt that remains is to offer others a taste of redemptive love (Mt. 6:12-15; Mt. 18:21-35). Let me state a working definition of forgiveness, based on the scriptural picture of God’s forgiveness. To forgive another means to cancel a debt in order to provide a door of opportunity for (1) repentance and (2) restoration of the broken relationship.

But understanding what forgiveness means and finding the strength within ourselves to offer it are two different matters. How can we get beyond an intellectual understanding and learn to forgive in the way God does? First, we need to get a glimpse of the frightening, surprising wonder of having been forgiven.

A forgiving heart knows how much it has been forgiven.

After Janet discovered her husband’s affair, she became cold and indifferent toward him. Her energy was directed to survival. She could not bear (or so it seemed) to allow herself to feel the passion and tenderness required to forgive because her heart ached so deeply. But although she intended to remain aloof and superior, her occasional outbursts of punitive rage mocked her efforts.

The only prospect of forgiving Gary came when she realized divorce was the only other option. She was trapped between rage and reality. Rage allowed her to detach and survive; reality called her to an awareness that she did not want to raise her children, support herself, or face life alone. Forgiveness seemed like the only way back to a normal life, but forgiveness also seemed like a door that would open her heart to death.

Janet’s desire for a return to normalcy was not strong enough to provide the energy to forgive. Assume for the moment that she is a Christian and knows something about God’s forgiveness. What will it take for her to offer true forgiveness to Gary, a forgiveness that goes beyond pragmatic concerns?

When Jesus told His disciples that He expected them to forgive someone who hurt them time and time again, they knew instinctively that they didn't have the strength to obey. "Increase our faith!" was their reply to his admonition to forgive "seventy times seven" times. He then promised: "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you" (Lk. 17:3-6). What does faith have to do with forgiveness? What did the Lord mean when He said that even puny faith is sufficient to forgive again and again and again? Let me add one more thought before we tackle this question.

A forgiving heart offers to others a glimpse of the mysterious wonder of God’s character. The energy to serve others a taste of God will be no greater than our own taste of God’s forgiveness. Jesus said to an arrogant legalist, Simon, the Pharisee: "He who has been forgiven little loves little" (Lk. 7:47). Jesus seems to be saying that the energy to forgive is directly related to our awareness of how much we have been forgiven, of how deeply we deserve God’s condemnation. Simon was impressed with his own command of godliness; consequently, he was not drawn to the One who can forgive sin. The same is essentially true for us. What kind of faith, then, energizes both our ability to receive and offer forgiveness?

A true view of ourselves. Faith, even if it is as small as a mustard seed, makes us "certain of what we do not see" (Heb. 11:1, emphasis added). The truth is that I am far worse than I appear; I am far worse than I even know. I need faith to see my own sin because my deceit makes me compare my sin with that of others and blinds me to my own need for forgiveness. Faith occasionally enables me to glimpse the depths of why I need God’s ongoing mercy.

A true view of God. I also need faith to face the most incomprehensible fact: His glory moves toward me at the depths of my greatest rage against Him. He moves toward me with searing kindness and strong, open arms; with eyes that weep with delight at my return. Through faith I see beyond the veil of my presumption of innocence and into the heart of the Father who forgives sin.

Once we have experienced God’s mercy and forgiveness, we will find the energy to cancel others' debts. A glimpse of His mercy quickens my faltering steps to offer to others a taste of it. And we will not stop with offering forgiveness, but, following God’s example, we will pursue the one who hurt us for the purpose of reconciliation.

A forgiving heart yearns for reconciliation.

The driving passion of a forgiving heart is the desire to see, touch, taste, feel, and smell reconciliation. Most of us have experienced moments of tension with a friend. Though nothing is said, the air is heavy with an unknown, unstated offense. A forgiving heart seeks the kind of rest and joy we experience when the air is finally cleared and hearts are reconnected. Reconciliation is restored peace, true shalom, wholeness and health returned to something that was broken and diseased.

Reconciliation is costly for both the one offended and the offender. The offended forgives (cancels) the debt by not terminating the relationship, as might be reasonable and expected given the offense. Instead, he offers mercy and strength in order to restore the relationship. The cost for the offended is in withholding judgment and instead offering the possibility of restoration.

The cost for the offender is repentance. Reconciliation is never one-sided. (I forgive you and then you go scot-free, enabled to do harm again and again without any consequence.) Instead, forgiveness is an offer, but not the granting, of reconciliation.

Jesus said: "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,' forgive him" (Lk. 17:3-4). Is Jesus saying that forgiveness is conditional? That we are not to forgive unless the offender repents?

If that was His meaning, it would contradict His other teaching on forgiveness (see Mt. 6:12, Mt. 6:14-15; Mk. 11:25; Lk. 6:37). Clearly, we are to forgive, irrespective of the other person’s response. What I believe He meant in the Luke 17 passage was that we are not to grant reconciliation until the person repents.

We see a picture of this principle in Jesus' cry from the Cross, "Father, forgive them." When the Lord forgave those who crucified Him, did He grant to each of them, at that moment, a place of eternal intimacy with His Father? I don't think so. I believe He was freeing them from the immediate consequences of killing Him. They deserved the kind of judgment that occurred in the Old Testament when Israelites touched the Ark of the Covenant: instant death. Jesus forestalled their punishment in asking for them to be forgiven. But they would have had to respond in repentance and faith, as did the thief who was crucified beside Jesus, in order for God to grant reconciliation.

What can we learn here? We must always offer reconciliation when, in the face of a rebuke, the offender demonstrates repentance: deep, heart-changing acknowledgment of sin and a radical redirection of life. But we need not extend restoration and peace to someone who has not repented.

A forgiving heart cancels the debt but does not lend new money until repentance occurs. A forgiving heart opens the door to any who knock. But entry into the home, that is, the heart, does not occur until the muddy shoes and dirty coat have been taken off. The offender must repent if true intimacy and reconciliation are ever to take place. That means that cheap forgiveness—peace at any cost—is not true forgiveness.

It is the passionate desire for reconciliation that enables us to offer true forgiveness. Forgiveness that is offered without the deep desire for the offender to be restored to God, and to the one who was harmed, is at best antiseptic and mechanical. At worst, it is pharisaical self-righteousness. Forgiveness is far, far more than a business transaction; it is the sacrifice of a heartbroken father who weeps over the loss of his child and longs to see the child restored to life and love and goodness.

Further, a forgiving heart does not wait passively for repentance to occur. Instead, it offers the offender a taste of mercy and strength designed to expose and destroy sin.

A forgiving heart works to destroy sin.

A forgiving heart hates sin and longs for reconciliation. Therefore, it works to destroy sin and offers strong incentives to repent and return to relationship. It offers "good food" that exposes the sinner’s emptiness and tantalizes him to return to the Father’s fold.

Paul tells us to offer food and drink to our enemy: "In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Ro. 12:20-21). The idea of heaping burning coals on a head is a mixed metaphor that seems to symbolize God’s smoldering, hot justice (Ps. 140:9-10). Yet it is also a symbol of mercy: As a sign of favor, Bedouins gave hot coals to someone who was without fire. And it is a metaphor of shame—coals on one’s head turn the face red.

What is the point of this complex metaphor? I understand it to mean that offering goodness has two effects. It conquers evil by surprising and shaming the sinner, and it invites the evildoer to pursue life.

Surprise disrupts the enemy’s expectations. The enemy usually has an idea, even if it’s vague and unconscious, about how his victim will respond to his sin. Having his attack greeted with kindness and strength throws his perspective into disarray and foils his plans. The more radical the kindness, the more likely that his response will crumble in uncertainty.

Shame is the gift of exposure—it gives the enemy an opportunity to look deep inside to see what rules his heart. The curtain lifts, and he sees himself as the wizard of a sham kingdom. In that sense, shame is a severe mercy.

Every time we give our enemy a gift of "good food" we expose his sin in the light of God’s goodness. What does it mean to offer our enemy "good food"? Good food is any gift that simultaneously reveals both God’s mercy and strength. What will that look like in practice? The answer will likely be different in every situation. Let me give a few examples.

You might handle an angry, shaming attack directed against you by flight ("I'm sorry; I'll try and do better") or fight ("How dare you question my motives! What is your problem?"). In either case, the shaming attack worked—it unnerved you and gained control over your heart. In contrast, a response of "good food" would opt for neither flight nor fight. One woman said to her angry, shaming husband: "Honey, when you speak to me so angrily, it reminds me of how strong I know you can be. But when you try to bully me, it makes you appear weak." Her response pierced his rage and invited him to interact in a strong, passionate, and tender manner. Her words were strong—she exposed his hideous rage; and tender—with passion and grace, she invited him to move toward her. Good food is neither bitter (strong without mercy) nor saccharine (tender without strength).

I know a woman who struggles with her negative next-door neighbor. Every time her neighbor visits she finds fault with something. For months my friend quietly endured the assaults. Finally, after much thought and prayer, she respectfully and kindly asked her, "Jane, you always seem to be struggling with some injustice. How do you deal with all the inner pain you must feel?" My friend’s good food was redemptive curiosity that highlighted both the neighbor’s negativism and her inner struggle.

An enemy faced with the surprise and shame that result from being offered good food will respond with either fury or stunned disbelief. In either case, change will occur—either repentance or greater evil. The repentant heart comes out of the woods, declares defeat, and asks for honorable terms of surrender. The hardened heart comes out of the woods and brandishes a sword, declaring a call to arms. Evil can then be addressed and fought directly.

We are to offer others a taste of the Cross, which is a demonstration of both wrath and mercy. It is both a warning (God hates sin) and an invitation (embrace God’s goodness and come under the blood of protection). To offer forgiveness we must have the tenderness to show mercy and the strength to intrude into the cancerous arrogance of the heart, knowing that the sin, if left untreated, will destroy the sinner’s heart.

Offer the gift of forgiveness.

Forgiveness involves more than merely releasing bitterness or saying, "I forgive you." It requires us to deeply ponder certain questions: "What does it mean to give this person a taste of God’s character in both strength and mercy? How can I feed him a taste of goodness that will surprise and shame his wickedness?" Let me briefly describe what happened with Gary and Janet.

Janet was furious. Gary wallowed in self-contempt. The marriage was a mess. Yet over time the Spirit of God opened Janet’s eyes to see how often she subtly betrayed Gary by undercutting his strength and putting down his ideas. Gary began to see how often he set Janet up to make a decision and then hated her for being knowledgeable and strong.

Before the affair their relationship looked good on the outside, but it was riddled with hidden sin. The affair was a turbulent earthquake that brought the deceitful, decaying remains to the surface. It compelled them to face sin that would eventually have robbed their lives of joy and the energy to love.

Janet was able to forgive Gary when she realized her sin was just as grievous as his. She was not the cause of the affair, but her attitude had invited Gary to look elsewhere for involvement. Janet’s heart was softened and also strengthened. She began to note when Gary tried to put her in charge. She continued to forgive him—to offer him a good gift—by gently turning decisions back to him.

Gary came to see his inability to forgive himself as a subtle excuse to justify his self-serving insecurities. As long as he was self-pitying and weak, Janet would never expect him to take initiative. He saw God’s forgiveness as sufficient and chose to see that his angry wife had been injured by his cowardice. He began to show kindness to her when she treated him with contempt. The growing strength he demonstrated by getting close to her sin in order to hear her hurt stunned her and elicited quiet gratitude.

Gary’s gentle, strong intrusion was a gift of forgiveness. Janet’s openness to receive his involvement was a gift of forgiveness. The couple changed when they came to grips with the darkness of their own sin; the passion of the Father’s eyes and the strength of His arms; and the offensive, intrusive, disruptive goodness of offering bold love.

On Your Own: Do I Have To Forgive?