Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
The steam engine has been around for quite a while now, an invention that has been credited to numerous different inventors over the years. Some sources claim that there were some early concepts and devices of this machine as far back as 60 AD. They have been used in many different applications, from pumping water from coal mines, to yarding wood with a steam donkey, and even pulling passenger cars across the country behind massive locomotives. But when using a steam engine, it’s been claimed by many operators that the very first thing that you must do is check the water level in the boiler by using the sight glass to make sure that it is at least halfway full. This must be done first, because the lack of water is extremely dangerous. If you heat up a steam engine without enough water, and it drops below the top of the firebox, the lack of the cooling effect of the water can result in catastrophic damage, and melt the boiler components.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
As a follower of Christ jesus, there are also certain things that must be done first, otherwise they can cause catastrophic damage to your own soul. The Lord Jesus commands that you reconcile with a brother that you have sinned against, and it must be done first, even before you bring a gift to the church.
Matthew 5:23-24 (KJB) Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Whenever somebody sins against God or others, they are supposed to reconcile with them, which is to rejoin the relationship that you shared with them before the sin was ever committed. This is so incredibly important because unless you seek out a brother that you have wronged in the church, and make the earnest attempt to be reunited and reconciled unto them, God doesn’t even desire your gifts. Many people think that if they throw enough money at the church that God will somehow look the other way at the sins that they have committed towards a brother, but according to this doctrine they are sadly mistaken. The doctrine of reconciliation is not optional, it is commanded by Christ in the New Testament, and those who cannot keep this commandment do not love God from their heart.
John 14:21-24 (KJB) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
One of the greatest teachings in the New Testament is repentance, and our study passage is a prime example that God wants this done first before any money is brought to the church. To attempt to give to the work of God knowing that you have done wickedly towards a brother is not only complete hypocrisy, but it is void of Divine charity. For them to hurt a brother in such a manner, and then go out of their way to never apologize for what they did, only proves that they never knew God in the first place. This is one of the reasons that there is so much false Christianity out in the world today, filled up with people who give large financial gifts to false prophets who assure them that they are on their way to heaven. A lot of the people who go to these places were part of a church somewhere else, but because of their complete arrogance, they absolutely refused to reconcile with a brother who they sinned against, so they left the group and joined up with a different one instead. This is evidence of a lost soul. If someone is too big to repent towards a brother, they cannot repent towards God. If they cannot repent towards someone that they have seen, how can they repent towards somebody that they have not seen? To claim that you have a relationship with God and then hate a brother in such a manner is to abide in death.
1 John 3:14-15 (KJB) We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
1 John 3:10 (KJB) In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
Many people have earthly brothers according to the flesh, but our study passage is speaking specifically about a church brother, and the Lord Jesus defines those who are truly a part of the family of God.
Matthew 12:47-50 (KJB) Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
A brother in the church is somebody that you had a Spiritual relationship with, sharing Holy Communion together in the same group, and were joined with each other through your mutual beliefs in the teachings of Holy Scripture. But then one of them sinned against the other, but rather than quickly confessing fault and making up with them, they chose the path of impenitence instead. Because of their own pride, they refused to humble themselves and admit fault, which will ultimately lead to their own damnation. When Divine charity is present in the heart, it will quickly reach out to a brother in the church that you have wronged, and if a person is incapable of doing that, it is because they are walking in darkness and blinded by their own sins.
1 John 4:20-21 (KJB) If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
1 John 2:11 (KJB) But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
When anyone commits a sin, you obviously cannot go backwards in time and undo what you did. In the church, what you must do is repent, confess your faults quickly, and reconcile with the wronged brother, so that you can obtain their forgiveness, and rejoin the relationship that you shared with them in the past. People know those whom they have wronged, and so does God, and those who refuse to make any efforts to make it right, are walking outside of the grace of God. Reconciliation must be first, just like checking the water in a boiler, otherwise it can result in catastrophic damage to one’s soul, and also to the life of,….
…….The Steam Engine
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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