Good morning and welcome in. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 1st Peter.
Out in the world each day there are many people who work at a store somewhere. Sometimes when they are recognized as a hard worker they are offered the job of becoming an assistant manager. If they take it, their duties will be to learn what the manager does such as watching over the items in the store, and doing the books so that they can pay the employees. Eventually someday, they can become a manager of their own store, and then train an assistant of their own. A manager is someone who has been entrusted to watch over the belongings of somebody else. This is exactly like the Christian Life. We have been entrusted with God’s forgiveness.
A steward is a manager or a caretaker. When we receive forgiveness and grace from the Lord Jesus Christ, we are freed from the penalty of our sins. His mercy is planted deep inside of our hearts and our minds like a possession that a manager would place in a retail store. When people apologize to one another in the church and they seek Mercy, we can supply the thing that they need, forgiveness. God has supplied us with a portion of his grace so that we can give it to each other in their time of need.
1 Pet 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
In this passage he speaks about the gift. Notice that this word is singular and not plural. The Apostle is focusing specifically about one gift in this verse, the gift of God’s forgiveness.
We talked a lot this past few weeks about forgiveness in the church, but we must always remember that when somebody apologizes that we need to forgive others and reconcile with them. Reconciling has to do with burying the hatchet as they would say. Through Christ, we can be reconciled again with God. Forgiveness is about completely forgiving the offender as God forgives each of us when we confess our faults and apologize to him in our prayers.
When we receive the gift, it’s about receiving forgiveness from God.
Ephesians 2:8 – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
2 Corinthians 9:15 – Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Forgiveness is something that we see and learn through the life of Jesus Christ. When we come looking for forgiveness from Him, He grants it to us.
Have you ever went up to your dad before and asked him for something? Maybe you asked him for a new baseball glove or football so that you could play with your friends. The next day your dad came home with the item that you requested. He freely gave it to you. But here’s a question for you.
Later on in your life when you grow up and perhaps have a family of your own, would you do the same thing for your children? If your child approached you one day and asked you for a football or baseball glove, would you go and get them one?
This is very similar to the Christian Life. God loves and cares for this world very much and wants all men to come to a place of repentance. He wants us to have a relationship with him once again. When we come humbly before his throne, we can receive that which we are looking for. He grants us the free gift of his Mercy, and we need to be good stewards with what he has given us. We must be merciful and forgiving with each other, with the understanding of how much mercy and forgiveness that God grants to us when we come looking for it.
Hebrews 4:16 – Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
After receiving forgiveness from God, He expects you to take what you have been given from Him and give it freely to others who are in need.
Minister actually means to attend to the needs of someone, and to provide and give help. God helps us by forgiving us in our time of need and this is the way we need to treat one another.
Instead of grudge keeping and bitterness we need to realize that we make mistakes too and let the past go. The scriptures teach that none are righteous no not one. With that in mind, the only way we can enter into heaven is by accepting God’s forgiveness that is available through his son Jesus Christ. When you forgive and reconcile with people who have wronged you, it is a direct result of divine charity and an understanding of what the Lord Jesus has done for you.
Ephesians 4:32 – And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
The carnal nature does not want to forgive others, they want them to suffer. They want to punish those who have wronged them. Can you imagine if this was the way that God treated us? Can you imagine crying out to our merciful God and Him looking the other way? When people cried out for mercy from Jesus His ears perked up. He hears the contrite penitent heart who comes to Him seeking mercy, and forgives them. Is this the same way that you treat others when they apologize to you and ask for forgiveness, or do you build a wall inside of your heart, built with the rocks of bitterness and upon the foundation of the unmerciful?
Matthew 6:14-15 – For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Scripture teaches us that if we forgive others the way Christ forgives us, we shall be forgiven.
Luke 6:37 – Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
If somebody has approached you and asked forgiveness you must forgive them and release them of the offense, not just for their sake but for your own salvation. True forgiveness will result in the restoration of the relationship that you had with the other party in the past.
Mark 11:25 – And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Some people make more mistakes than others but you cannot withhold forgiveness from others after they have apologized. If somebody is having a problem with something in the church, instead of holding a grudge against them, why don’t you help them and be part of the solution?
Luke 17:3-4 – Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Everybody in the church is dealing with different problems in their life. None of us are better than the other. What we need to learn to do in the church is to not be a stumbling block, and to help people with the issues that they are struggling with.
Just like a child who is having problems, a parent needs to learn to redirect them and point them towards a purpose. To guide them in the right direction. This is the Christian life. God is our helper and we need to help each other. God gives us the grace to grow and supplies us with a lot of forgiveness in order to fill in the holes of failure in each of our lives.
Colossians 3:12-13 – Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
The scriptures give us great and precious promises of God’s mercy. His forgiveness gives us great hope that He is going to complete the thing that He started within our hearts. Imagine giving that same hope and grace to others and the change that can result because of it.
Have you apologized to God and asked for forgiveness? You do it every single day when you pray the Lord’s prayer. When somebody asks you to forgive them, do you treat them the same way that you want God to treat you?
Matthew 6:14 – For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Remember today that if you’ve been forgiven with God you’re supposed to minister that same forgiveness to others when they need it from you. That is truly being a good steward of the riches of God’s grace that He has given to you. Freely you have received, and freely give to others.
As an assistant manager, we watch what the manager does so that we can follow his lead. Have you become management material yet? Have you learned to forgive?
Let’s think about these things for today and Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.❤️
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