January 28, 2022
WHAT IS THE FORMULA FOR FORGIVENESS? Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive a brother, maybe “seven times?”. Jesus answered, “Up to seventy times seven.” This was another way of saying that Peter should forgive as often as needed. To further help Peter understand, Jesus told a parable. A parable is the use
January 27, 2022
DESCENDING TO GREATNESS The disciples were constantly debating among themselves the question of who would be the greatest when Jesus came into His kingdom. They finally asked Jesus. He answered by calling a little child over to Him and saying that unless they repented of their sins and became as this child they wouldn’t even
January 27, 2021
DESCENDING TO GREATNESS The disciples were constantly debating among themselves the question of who would be the greatest when Jesus came into His kingdom. They finally asked Jesus. He answered by calling a little child over to Him and saying that unless they repented of their sins and became as this child they wouldn’t even
January 28, 2020
WHAT IS THE CALCULUS OF FORGIVENESS? Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive a brother, maybe “seven times?”. Jesus answered, “Up to seventy times seven.” This was another way of saying that Peter should forgive as often as needed, without counting or calculus. To further help Peter understand, Jesus told a parable.
January 27, 2018
WHO WILL BE THE GREATEST?
The disciples were constantly debating among themselves the question of who would be the greatest when Jesus came into His kingdom. They finally asked Jesus. He answered by calling a little child over to Him and saying that unless they repented of their sins and became as this child they wouldn’t even get into the kingdom of heaven, much less be great. For the currency of the kingdom isn’t the currency of the world. The currency of the kingdom is asking, not earning; it’s humbling oneself, not seeking glory. It’s welcoming a child on Christ’s behalf and in effect, welcoming Christ Himself.
Applying this to our church, it seems to me that those who willingly serve in our children’s ministries may be on to something…
January 28, 2015
Peter asked Jesus whether we should put a limit on forgiveness. Jesus answered with a parable concerning a king and his subject who owed him “ten thousand talents” (A “talent” was a unit of gold weighing around 75 pounds. One talent was equal to about 16 years’ wages). The king forgave his subject completely, erasing his debt. But the subject’s heart was unchanged. He immediately went out and put in prison one who owed him only “one hundred denarii” (A “denarii” was a Roman coin made of about 4 grams of silver. It was considered a day’s wages). The point of the parable seems to be that God has forgiven us a debt much greater than any could ever repay, therefore we should always forgive because we have been forgiven so much. Our capacity for the forgiveness of others is drawn from God’s limitless supply of forgiveness for us. We are to love and forgive unconditionally, as God through Christ has loved and forgiven us.