We have a generous god. However, he is more than just a wishing well for us to cast our coins into, hoping that out will come all the desires of our hearts.
There are times he does not want us to ask anything of him. Rather, he sends us a completely different direction. He sends us to ask of our fellow man.
In Matthew 18, the disciples met with Jesus, probably in Peter’s home. After gathering a small child to him (where we find the classic story telling us that we must come to him as little children), Jesus began teaching through a series of parables filled with symbolism. It is in this passage that we find the story of the shepherd who left his flock in order to find the one sheep that had strayed.
In the midst of this, Peter comes before the Lord with one of the most important questions asked by any disciple. In Verse 21, Peter asks, “How many times do I have to forgive others? As many as seven?”
Jesus’ reply seems improbable to us. “I say, seventy times seven.” Why did Jesus use such an extravagant number? No one would wrong us as many as five hundred times, would they?
Luke 17:4 says it differently, but the meaning is the same. “If your brother wrongs you seven times in a day, and if he asks your forgiveness seven times each day, you are to give it.”
Jesus’ words in Luke suggest we should forgive without end. Ouch, God!
There are two passages we will look at today, for each shows us what we need to ask of those around us, if we want God to open the windows of heaven unto us.
Passage 1:
Turn to Matthew 5:23-24. Here Jesus tells us that if we come before God, and he reminds us of someone we are in disagreement with, we should do everything in our power to resolve those issues, or God will not accept our gifts or answer our prayers.
Wow! This concept is so important that it should have been number one in this series. Except...except. We weren’t ready for it. This is the hardest of the things we must do in order for God to open his blessings unto us, and it is a stumbling block for many people. We can’t let it be a hindrance in our walk with him. Rather, we should see it as a challenge that will bind the body of Christ ever closer.
Passage 2:
Skip ahead a chapter to Matthew 6:14-15. In the previous 5 verses, Jesus has revealed to the disciples the most well-known prayer in the history of the human race. We can all quote it: Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name...
Immediately following the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus jumps into a lesson that sounds very much like the one from a chapter earlier. He says, “If you forgive men for what they have done to you, the Father will forgive you. Yet, if you do not forgive them, the Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.”
After the beauty and simplicity of the Lord’s Prayer, why did Jesus shift so abruptly into what must have seemed a rebuke?
The reality is that forgiving others is the hardest thing mankind is asked to do. It goes against the grain of human nature. When we reach a point where we can forgive our brothers, then we are on a plane with the angels. We have reached a supernatural plateau that elevates us above mere mortal man and extends our reach into the spiritual realm.
We have reached the place Jesus wants us to be.
When we wish to come before God, we should first come before man. We should resolve our issues with one another, and then God will be prepared to accept our praise and give us the desires of our hearts.
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