Lecture IV-Forgiving Others: A Grace-Filled Obligation of Spiritual Formation (Dr. Michael J. Wilkins

Matthew 18:21-25 - "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, and 'I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

To Forgive is to release a person from the wrong that they have done to us, for the purpose of re-establishing one relationship in a healthy way. Everyone of us has sinned and everyone needs forgivness. Forgivness is a crucial key to our personal formation and the health of our communities.

Matthew 18:21-35
1st section: a typically human way of dealing with people who have offened us (18:21-22). It's a performance driven requirement.
Peter's motive, he is waiting for a time for retribution, he will forgive until a point the person will pay for it.

2nd section: a God's way of Forgiveness
A Grace-filled obligation (18:23-35) there is a kind of forgiveness that comes from heaven.
FORGIVENESS is a supernatural impulse from a transformed heart. We are made to forgive, in the likeness of Jesus.

The 1st servant is an example of a person who has never truely received God's forgiveness.
HOW??

Forgiveness comes from being forgiven - "mercy" is not giving a person what she or he deserve, while 'grace' is giving to a person what she or he doesn't deserve.

*Mercy & Grace experienced will produce mercy & grace demonstrated. (v.32-33)
Forgiveness comes from a changed heart - to experiences the grace of the gospel of the kingdom is to experience a transformed heart. and it's Jesus kind of heart, which continually give to other for their benefits.

What prohibits our forgiving others is when we harden our heart, one of two basic ways:
a. When we sin againist God or His people
b. When we have hurt by others, we harden our heart so we won't be hurt again.
* A hard heart can't love, our spiritual life grow as we forgive others.

Forgiveness is your responsiblity; leave judgment to God.
a. Don't try to take it into your own hands to bring retribution to others.
b. Don't try to be God's cop to the world.

Be wise as a serpent, but harmless as a dove
a. Don't be foolish about placing yourself unnessearily in a place where you'll continue to be wrong.
b. Be wise about those who would continue to hurt you, or hurt those you love.

Kingdom Forgiveness -
A life motto: "I don't get mad, I get even."
A life transformation: "If God can forgive a jerk like me, I can forgive you."
stop focusing on what others have done to us and focus on what Jesus has done in and for us.

Some Final thoughts (Kingdom Forgiveness) -
An unhealthy person and community is one that doesn't not live in relationship to the reality of the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

Rather, it lives according to the prevailing cultural paradigm of values. We might try to gather around like interests, or geographical location, or even ideologies.

But the kind of community that Jesus advances is based on having received mercy and forgiveness, which in turn will impel us to demonstrate mercy and forgiveness.

Lecture II - The Unbelievable Goal of the Spirituality Life (M. Robert Mulholland Jr.)

It is not uncommon to tell that the goal of spiritual life is going to heaven. However it is more than that.

Spiritual Life is not something cognitive, intellectual, a list of do's & don't's, dogma, performance, popularity...etc. IT IS... "...a true awareness of God , renouce to self..." (Merton, Contemplation) An alternate mode of consciousness, a MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE: Life of a loving union with God.

What Paul said about mystical experience:

Col 1:19, "... all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell..."

Eph. 3:16-19, "... filled with all the fullness of God." Paul is speaking a reality of spiritual experience. A loving relationship that has rooted in us. An experience that surpasses knowledge.

Col. 3:3

Gal. 2:19b-20a ... "Christ living in me."

What Peter said:
II Peter1:3, "...life and godliness... knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and goodness."
II Peter1:4, "...escape from the corruption that is in the world beacause of desire, andmay become partakers of the devine nature."

What Jesus said:
John 14:15-23..."he will be in you... I am in you...reveal myself to them... we will come to them and make our home with them."
John 15:4-5: "Abide in me as I abide in you... Those who abide in me and I in them."
John 17:20-23: "that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you..." Jesus is praying for a relationship for us, the same are just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the world will see Jesus in us, when we live out this oneness. It is nothing to do with theology right.

The Unbelievable Goal of Spirituality: BE HIS PRESENCE TO THE WORLD. NO LONGER I LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVING IN ME.

What is 'Spiritual Maturity'? -
Ephesians 4:13: 1. The unity of the faith and, 2. the unity of the knowledge of the Son of God, 3. to maturity, 4. to the fullness of Christ.

Alpha & Omega!!! - PRAISE THE LORD!

Once again, Jesus have done great things among us. Thank you Jesus for all that He has done at CBMC. In the past 7 years, we have experienced great things one after another. How can we not trust HIM? How can we not pray? How can we not praise Him?

The Alpha & Omega completes the work that He started, no matter what the circumstances. He is God, the creator of the universe, the first and the last, the beautiful savior, the shepherd, the "GREAT I AM", the mighty KING, Ruler of the universe... the list go on and on. I wonder what joy Moses feels as he led millions of people crossed the Red Sea, Joshua feels as the wall of Jericho fall down, Neimiah feels as the King granted his request to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem...etc. The wonder of God's footprinted from the beginning of bible til now and forever. It is HIS attribute that nothing in HIM will left undone and incomplete. He is the Alpha, He is the Omega. The first and the last... Thank you Jesus!