Good morning and welcome in. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 1st Peter but before we do that I wanted to ask you a little question.
How many of you each day make a to-do list? Whenever I get ready to take the kids fishing down at the lake, there are a lot of items that we need to prepare before we even get into the boat. Andrew will take a shovel and go to the garden and turn over the dirt so that the kids can pick worms. We will take a few minutes to organize the tackle box to make sure we’ve got everything that we need. We make sure that we have a fishing net, and our fishing rods are stringed up and ready to go. We grab our life jackets, a cooler full of snacks and a stringer for the fish. But before we even do any of these things, there is something that I do that is on the very top of the list because it is the most important to me. Before the boat is even hooked up to the truck, I start up the small outboard motor to make sure it runs and that there is plenty of gas so that we don’t get stranded out on the lake.
What is at the very top of your to-do list? In the Christian Life, the Apostle Peter teaches us to place something at the very top. It needs to be above all other things.
1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
The Apostle teaches the church to love one another fervently. Fervent means having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling and enthusiasm. The Lord Jesus shows us his great love for us by dying on the cross for our sins. He wants us to take the love that He has given to us and give it to others.
John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Many times when Andrew and I have gone shopping for the family, we make up a list of things that we need to get from the grocery store. As we drive there in the truck, I will circle some items that we absolutely must get. They are things that we really cannot go without. The Christian life is very similar to this because love for one another in the church needs to be above all things.
1 Peter 1:22 – Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.
The Apostle Paul taught the church the exact same thing that Peter did. He taught them that love was the greatest.
1 For 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
The scriptures teach us that God is love, and the God of love gives us the following commandment.
1 John 3:23 – And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
John 15:12 – This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
The Apostle Peter teaches the church that charity shall cover the multitude of sins. A multitude is a very large number. When we admit our sins to God he can forgive us. When we say I repent, which means to say I’m sorry or I regret what I did, each of us need to be able to forgive each other in the church. When you are filled with God’s love you will be extremely forgiving with others, no matter how forgiving you need to be. The refusal to forgive, forget and reconcile is not love, it’s cruelty.
Matt 18:21
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
God is filled with riches of mercy that we can access if we need it. This is why the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross. He gave his own life as an atonement for our sins and misdeeds. If you make a mistake in the Christian walk we can come boldly to the throne of grace to get forgiven. God loves us that much that he laid down his own life.
1 John 4:11 – Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
It is God’s love for us that covers our sins when we make a mistake. The sons of Noah covered him up when he had too much to drink. That showed that they loved him. God wants to cover our sin because he cares for us and he wants all men to come to repentance.
We show each other the love of God by forgiving one another, as He has forgiven us. The less love in your heart, the less forgiving you are when people apologize to you. This is why there must be fervent charity in the church. When we receive God’s grace, we are supposed to give that grace to one another as good stewards of the forgiveness that He has given us.
Matt 18:23-35
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
The servant in this passage was forgiven of a massive debt, but then he refused to forgive his fellow servant in the same manner. Some people do the very same thing today by going to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness, but then refusing to do the same for others in the church who request it. One of the main tenants of Christianity is forgiveness. True forgiveness will forget past sins which results in immediate reconciliation because you don’t remember the things they did anymore.
Forgiveness requires charity on your part towards the offending party. If you can’t show mercy after you get forgiven with God you are not only rejecting God’s mercy, but the Christian faith.
The result of this behavior is to not be forgiven by God, which is probably the worst place I could ever imagine being.
So, when you think about all the things that you need to do today, think about this…..
Is charity on the top of your list?
Let’s think about those things for right now and Lord willing, I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody. ❤️
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