Let me turn with me to Luke 17. Luke 17, our text is the first five verses. Then our Lord said unto the disciples, it is impossible, but that offenses will come, but woe unto him through whom they come. It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves, take heed to yourselves. If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke And if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turned again to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him. And the apostles said unto the Lord, increase our faith.

Let's begin here with this first this first phrase here, then said he unto the disciples, our Lord has been giving some very strong doctrine in the parables. And now he gives a stronger doctrine still about forgiveness. Forgiveness. This is a strong doctrine that men do not want to hear. The flesh doesn't want to hear about love, grace, and forgiveness. The flesh wants to talk about vengeance, and holding account, and the law, and the strictness of the law, and being perfect. The flesh doesn't want to talk about forgiveness, but that's where our Lord brings it. He brings it to forgiveness here.

Offenses must come. It is impossible, he said there, that offenses will come. They will come. There's going to be offenses given, and there's going to be offenses taken. And our Lord is speaking to his disciples, you that trust the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, you that, like Paul, have no confidence in the flesh, but trusting, trusting the Lord Jesus Christ. You don't want to go to the law because you know what you are before the law. You're sinners, condemned, imperfect. If you've heard Christ, like we saw there in Hebrews 10, if you've heard Christ, but you turn back to the law for righteousness, If you've withdrawn from Christ and you're going to go to the law, how much sore punishment are you going to get who have trampled the blood of Christ's blood underfoot by going back to the law for righteousness?

When you see, I'm not righteous before the law. If you think you're righteous before the law, you've not heard the law. You've not heard the perfection, the strict perfection of the law. And you're ignoring the fact that we ourselves sin willfully. And without the blood of Christ, you have no covering for sin. If you're going back to the law, you've got no covering for sin. And so he says here now that it's impossible, but that offenses will come. For one thing, the reason why offense has come is because men are sinful creatures. We are not perfect. By just making good choices, we're not going to perfect ourselves or improve ourselves or stop sinning. It's not going to happen. You're a sinner. By nature, our hearts are corrupt. We're born of corrupt seed. It's defiled. It's ruined. We're sinners. We're sinners. We're not going to do perfectly before the law.

Offenses will come. As we saw in the last hour, that by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned, without exception, without exception. We're all sinners, and so offenses will come. And these offenses are of the sort that cause men to stumble, that cause men to go away from Christ. These parables were spoken to the Pharisees, to us and the Pharisees, and showing how that the Pharisees were turning men away from Christ. And so these give occasion to fall, to turn away from the only righteousness that God has given. In fact, in some manuscripts, that word that we have offenses is translated temptations. Temptations will come. temptations, that is, those things that lead us away from Christ. These offenses try the saints, they prove the saints, they tempt the saints away from the only hope of salvation. These offenses create a stumbling block before those who are weak of mind, as it's called in the scriptures, weak-minded.

So through reproaches, through persecutions, through errors, through heresies, and wicked deeds. Even the evil lives of vain professors can cause others to stumble and leave Christ. as it were. If it were possible, there are some who start off with a good profession but leave Christ and depart from it, seeing the hypocrisy as well as being led astray by heresies and errors.

And so it should be understood that Sin is an offense, but also to understand here what the Lord is teaching here is that these things must come. They must come because God is sovereign and he does make use of offenses. He does make use of offenses among men because he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. And so what I am saying is just because offenses are given doesn't mean that God has lost control and everything's all gone off the rails and that all is lost. God is sovereign and able to work all things and use all things to the praise and glory of his name.

The scriptures affirming, surely the wrath of man shall praise thee and the remainder thereof thou shalt restrain. God is sovereign. He's not lost control. Just because wicked deeds and offenses come, God has not lost control. He is in control of all things. And He'll use the offenses of men to perfect His saints, to help His saints, to prove His saints.

In fact, in another place, the Prophet Isaiah said, well, the Lord speaking, he said, I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. Now that word evil here is speaking about evil distresses, adversities, miseries, calamities, I, the Lord, create these things. How so? How is it that God creates this evil? What is He doing that for, right? Because that could really make people afraid and tremble before God that all these things are in His hand.

Well, think for a moment that if there's a nation of people that will do wickedly in the earth, And they want to go and attack this nation over here. This is just one example. But they want to go attack this nation over here and cause trouble for them. Where God has a people, where God is determined to give him his word, and to give them peace, and to make them to hear the truth of God, he's able to bring calamity upon that nation over there, to stop them from doing what they would do, lest it come and be contrary to what God's perfect will is. over here. God is able. He's able to do all things. He can humble men and stop men from doing the wickedness that they would do.

But when they do it, still all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are thee called according to purpose. And so the Lord can even bring forth and permit and allow calamity to happen. and great adversities in order to teach his people, to strengthen his people, to turn his people from trusting the flesh to trust him, to see his hand in all things. He's able to do it. All things are at his disposal. So understand that God is God and he doeth whatsoever he pleases. He does what pleases Him. And if that humbles us, good. Good. We ought to be humble. We ought to consider our ways before the Lord. He is able. He's able.

So these offenses come. For by these offenses, believers are wrought, they're brought forth, they're manifested, they're proved, they're taught and strengthened by the Lord, by the grace of the Lord. And so, as Paul states to the Corinthians, he even said, for there must be also heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." The Lord will even use heresies and allow heresies to come in in order to reveal and manifest the truth of Christ to his people, to reveal Christ in you, and to firm you up on him, to cause you to stand in him.

And so this word offense, is interpreted as a trigger to a snare so that when it's tripped, it causes one to stumble or fall. And if you've ever made a snare for varmint or a small animal, you know that that stick that you put the box up on or whatever it is or something that falls into a pit, that snare is that trigger that when hit, it causes the animal to fall into the trap, to the snare. That's the type of offense. It causes one to stumble, to fall into it, to be ensnared by it, to be taken by it. That's the type of offense that this is.

And so we see this. Again, the context has been in the midst of the Pharisees opposing Christ, opposing the things that Christ is teaching them, turning men to himself. And they hate that because they glory in the law. They glory in their works. They want to receive the glory rather than give the glory to God. And so they despise what Christ is saying. They despise Him for showing what we are by nature. And so they were turning others away from Christ.

We need to be very careful when we would turn others away from Christ to the law, to correct offenses, to teach them, to tell them how to live by the law. You're turning men away from Christ. You're turning people away to a voluntary humility which cannot save, which has no effect on the heart, has no help for the soul. It's just sealing us up in a fleshly tomb of trusting our works and what we've done. And so the Lord says, take heed to yourselves. Don't lead men away. Take heed to yourselves. Consider these things what you're doing because you're turning them away from Christ.

Be concerned with the heart. with the heart, because the law isn't going to fix the heart. Only Christ can fix the heart. Only by His Spirit do we hear Christ and serve Him and have a care and an interest to serve Him graciously, in love, in faith, in peace. Otherwise, when it's by the law, it's just strictness, it's hardness, it's justice, it's no forgiveness. It's just, it's brutal. It's harsh by the law. And so in doing that, all you're doing is setting up a snare for little ones. You're setting up a snare for the tender and the weak who think that's salvation. If I could just fix myself, if I could just improve myself, then the Lord would love me. That's just a snare. You're never going to fix yourself. You're never going to improve yourself. And if you do, you're just snared. You're ensnared. You're taken in the snare. Because you're not in Christ, you're under the law. You're under the law.

And our Lord said, woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. For ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. You're putting a stumbling block before others. You're just making an offense. Don't cause an offense that teaches men to turn away from the only name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved. Drive them to Christ. Drive them to Christ.

that a lot of pastors heard this from Henry Mahan, I think was the first one that a lot of us heard it from, but he said, love them to Christ. When you go there to a church, love them to Christ. You're not going to beat them and whip them to Christ. You're not going to yoke them with the law to Christ. You love them to Christ. Love them to Christ. Be patient, be patient, and love them. Love them to Christ. And so that's how we're going to drive, that's where men are going to be driven to the arms of Christ rather than to the arms of Moses. They're never going to do enough in Moses.

And just as that offense speaks to self-righteous Pharisees, it also extends to us if we would use grace as a cloak of unrighteousness. Be mindful. Be mindful of the weakness of others. Take care. Take heed to yourselves to seek the Lord, to be gracious, to be understanding of the weakness of others, and to not live carelessly. Be mindful of those things. Be mindful because there are people that are weakened by them and do stumble over that, over that liberty that you have. Only use not liberty for a cloak of unrighteousness. So both offenses that would turn men away from the Lord.

Even adversity. I've seen adversities and trials and hardships turn people away from the Lord. As I remember, I've told you this before, of a young woman who believed, was baptized, and then started having all kinds of troubles. Car wrecks, people getting hurt, people getting sick, and she just thought, maybe God's mad at me, and she turned away. and walked with the Lord no more after that. And so even trials can do that. That's not of us, but that's of trials. And so the Lord proves his people by these offenses. But we don't want to be guilty of them. Woe unto him through whom they come.

Verse two, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the sea, then that he should offend one of these little ones." And so we want to be mindful of our dear brethren so as not to offend one of these little ones. The violent death of a millstone hanged about the neck and cast into the sea is a better death than that one who goes to hell for all eternity because they turn men away from Christ. That's a more violent and brutal death. and eternal death and ruin. And so be mindful, be mindful of these things that whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God. Be mindful that people are weak. People do have difficulty with the grace of God. Be mindful of those things. Try not to give offense. and that they be turned not away from the Lord Jesus Christ.

But do not play that part of the self-righteous. Don't. Don't play the part of the self-righteous who shut men out from Christ in trying to serve according to their customs, their traditions, their laws, and their rules, because it's not driving them to Christ. And Paul said this way, that in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision availeth anything, but a new heart, a new creature. We must be made new creatures. It's a heart issue. It's a heart issue. And I can't splice and dice every bit, but we know it's either in Christ or it's done in the flesh. And the Lord's telling us, serve Christ, look to Christ, preach Christ, minister Christ to the little ones. Preach Christ, because that's where the heart is changed. Not the doing and not doing, but Christ. Only he is able to change the heart.

So take heed unto yourselves. After that strong counsel of our Lord to his disciples, not to be a cause of stumbling to others, our Lord says, take heed to yourselves. You see, we're very proud by nature, we're very arrogant by nature, and we're fixers by nature. He's saying don't take heed to others. Don't be so worried and fixated on what others are doing to guard them and to correct them. That's the opposite of what Christ tells us to do. He says, take heed to yourselves.

There's three times in the Gospel of Luke that we're told that the Pharisees watched Christ. They were so busy watching Christ. Two times to see whether he would heal someone mercifully, graciously on the Sabbath day. They watched him. And another time, to catch him in his words. Just trying to set him up so they could snare him in his words and take him in his words. To charge him with sin. That's what the Pharisee does. We put ourselves in great danger when we make other people's business our business to expose sin. When we make it our business to expose other sin, we put ourselves in great danger trying to conform others to ourselves, rather than drive them to Christ.

For one thing, it's the wicked one who's always accusing the brethren. Going around pointing out other people's problems finding faults with other people. It's the accuser that does that That's the spirit. That's the spirit of the of the accuser. And so our Lord is showing us. We're all sinners

All right. We're all sinners turn over there to Matthew 7 look at Matthew 7 In the first five verses there In verse 1, Matthew 7, 1, he tells us, Judge not that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged. And with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you again.

That's why we make ourselves appear as hypocrites so often, because we can see the fault in another so easily and not see in ourselves, not see how we are guilty of the same things that we're condemning another for. And he says, why beholdest thou the mote, that little splinter that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam, the big board sticking out of your own eye? How wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye, and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? It's obvious to the other brother, who you're trying to pull that splinter out, that you're a hypocrite. You're a hypocrite. You do the same exact things.

And that's what he says, Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. For many of us, that's a lifetime. That's a lifetime. Because we see, as we, when we begin to see the breadth and the depth of our sin, it gets real hard to be worrying about everybody else when I see, when I look in the mirror of the scripture and see all my faults and my warts and my problems, that my teeth are dirty, that my face is dirty, my hair is all messed up. I've got problems myself.

And that's when you stop looking at everyone else and accusing everyone else because you see your own sin. And so, not to mention that when you have a board sticking out of your eye, what are you doing? Every time you're watching everybody, you're hitting everyone upside the head, and you're poking them, and you're really giving it to them. You're sticking them, because again, they see the hypocrisy. How are you helping them when you yourself are a sinner?

And so don't forget what Paul says to the Galatians. Turn over there to Galatians 6. Galatians 6. Brethren, verse 1, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, not you that know everything, not you that have everything figured out, you that are spiritual, you that care, you that love. You that really love and mean well for your brethren, not because you want everything to be perfect in everybody, but because you really do care and love them. You that are spiritual, restore such in one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."

Because it happens. Probably every one of us that believe Christ has a story of where we heard of something someone did that was so horrible and awful. only to then and say something about it. I can't believe they would do that. No Christian would ever do such a thing, only for the Lord graciously to show us that same week, how we're guilty of the same thing. It may not be the exact same thing, but it strikes us and we realize I'm doing the same exact thing that I'm accusing them of. And that's a mercy. That's a mercy lest we think too highly of ourselves.

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. That means you're bearing with your brethren. You're patiently bearing with them and loving them, serving Christ shoulder to shoulder with them, patiently bearing with your brethren, waiting upon the Lord to be gracious unto them, to teach them in their heart And oftentimes, I've said it before, I'll say it again, when we're praying for another, a lot of times we're learning it's my heart that needs to be fixed. It's my heart that needs to be turned. And the Lord graciously turns my heart from the wrong that I'm so worried about. And someone else, it's my heart that's being turned.

And so not everything has to be corrected and adjusted by us. We can bear things trusting our brethren to the Lord. who's able to teach them. Under the gospel, I've seen it many times. As a pastor, you know, you guys talk to me, and there's things I don't even know are an issue, but the Lord, through the preaching of the gospel, turns your heart, and you're just talking about something that the Lord has done, and giving you a heart to serve Him. I didn't put my hand to it. You didn't put your hand to it. The Lord turned the heart, and you're saying, you know, the Lord has given me a heart for this.

I don't even know anything that's going on, but the Lord does, and he's able to teach his people, to steer his people, direct the hearts of his people as a body to serve and do what he would have them do. I don't want everybody to be like me. You don't want everybody to be like you. The Lord knows how he's teaching his people and using his people in the body. Some are encouragers, some are helpers, some are servants, some love and care for one another. In many different ways, the Lord has assembled his body as it pleases him to serve him and his sheep in that area. But I fear the self-righteous don't experience it, because they're always putting their hand to it, always touching it, always fixing it, always turning back to the law. And why? Is God not able to teach his people? Is he not able to minister his grace in the heart, to lay it in a way that only he knows where it needs to be laid and how it needs to be laid?

The Lord is able by to put his finger right where it needs to be put on me, and touch me in a way that only he knows, in a way that touches me and brings me to my knees, and only he is able to do it. And I know that if he does that for me, then I know and have confidence he's able to do it for you, without me putting my hand to it.

Because every time I put my hand to something, I corrupt it. I mess it up. I inadvertently hurt someone more than they needed to be hurt, and it just messes things up, and it ruins the relationship, and it separates rather than heals and brings together. But God, when He does it, He's able. He's able to do it in ways that we don't even really understand when we try to do it ourselves.

Paul goes on in verse 3 there, Galatians 6, 3. For if a man think himself to be something when he's nothing, he deceiveth himself. but let every man prove his own work. As Christ said, take heed to yourselves. And then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another.

Men, the self-righteous Pharisee, gets joy out of fixing and conforming another to himself. And that's his joy, in another, rather than ignoring what is going on in his own heart and with his own sin. Look down at Galatians 6.13, because it speaks to that, not glorying in another. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law, but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. All right, that's what Paul's saying. We're not looking to glory in another, fix others. And to make others do what we want them to do, trust the Lord is able. Trust the Lord is able. Love him, love him the Christ.

Because no man can change the heart. No man can change the heart. All the, what we do and turn another to the law, it actually incites the flesh. It actually provokes more flesh, more flesh. That's what Paul said, when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. All right, if you're trying to teach your brother and instruct them using the law, laying the law upon them, all that's happening is their flesh is getting provoked and stirred up, and it's bringing out the worst in them.

Is that what you're trying to do? Is that what you want, is more flesh? No, no, and who do you have to blame when the flesh comes out? Yourself, you're the provoker, you're the one accusing, you're the one using the flesh rather than preaching Christ, rather than ministering Christ.

When you go to the law, when you go to the law to command and control another by the law of commandments, you've become a minister of condemnation. You've become a minister of death. All right, 2 Corinthians chapter 3, you are now a minister of condemnation and death. If you love your brother, Don't be a minister of condemnation and death. Minister the Spirit.

How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be more glorious, more glorious? Where God gets all the praise, the honor, and the glory. If life is what you seek in your brethren, if you would see life and love and light in their eyes, preach to them, minister to them the hearing of faith. Preach Christ to them, because he's the one able to give light and life and faith in their heart. Preach Christ. And so that's how the Spirit is ministered to the hearers.

Consider these things well, brethren, in a spirit of prayer. This is why Paul said in Colossians 3, 14 and 15, above all these things, put on charity. on love, which is the bond of perfectness, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts." Trust God. Trust Him that He is able to do it without your hand having to fix it. He's able. He's able. "...to which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful."

The peace of God says, I can love my brother, I can love my sister, knowing that God is able. Just as God taught me, and is still teaching me, and bearing long with me, I know that God loves them, and is able to teach them as he will, and bears with them. Why can't I? Why can't I bear long with my brethren?

So back in Luke 17, verse three, Take heed to yourselves, if thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him, and if he repent, forgive him. Now that word rebuke certainly is used in the scriptures here as a sharp charge. Be plain and clear with it. Tell your brother what their offense is. Be clear in it. If a rebuke is necessary, if that kind of rebuke is necessary, if it's that severe, by all means, rebuke them. Be very clear. in it, but the purpose of speaking to your brother in the first place is to show them their error, not to destroy them.

I was always taught when I was in business is begin with the end of mind. If you want to drive that person out of the company, then lay into him. And they'll flee. But if you really don't want them to leave, then it's going to manage how you say these things, how you speak to another person. If the goal is, I just want them to fix the behavior, but I don't want them to leave, you're going to say it this way. If you want them to leave, you're going to say it a whole other way. You're going to be really tough on them and drive them right on out of there. And so you begin with the end of mind.

Well, with your brethren, you want a relationship. You want a relationship with them. You don't want to discourage them, you want to encourage them. You want to be a son of encouragement to your brethren. And so that's going to manage, that's going to be there in your speech.

But that word, at least historically, when that word was used, because we saw how, like in the scriptures, sometimes when it was a sharp rebuke, it was done correctly and sometimes incorrectly. When Peter spoke to Christ, he had no business talking like that to Christ, when he tried to rebuke Christ. Well, when Christ rebuked him, it was right. Or when a blind man was crying out, son of David, have mercy on me. And the crowd rebuked him. They told him, be quiet. But that was wrong. That was wrong to rebuke him there.

But the way that word is also used, at least historically in that time period, was it has a sense of shown honor. That even when you're wronged. As we're told about love, that love hopes all things, believes all things. You're going to another, not assuming they're wrong. Maybe they don't even understand what they're doing, but you're going to them very kindly, very patiently, hoping. that maybe I'm wrong in how I see this. You're showing them honor. Even when you're the one offended, you're showing them honor because you love them. You love them and you want the best for the body.

And so what I'm saying here is that Consider what spirit you're going to another, when you have a problem with somebody, consider what spirit you're going to them in. Remember when Christ was going to Jerusalem and he sent some disciples on ahead in a town in Samaria to make ready for his coming. And they said, no, we don't want him coming here. He's going to Jerusalem? No, let him go somewhere else. And John and James saw it, and said, Lord, wilt thou command that fire come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? And our Lord turned and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of."

When we get angry, it's very often a foul spirit. And we start laying in to our brother. It's a foul spirit, it's an evil spirit. We're of the bad spirit there. For the Son of Man has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

Think for a moment. When a brother's wronged you, is there another village we can go to? Not to another church, I don't mean that. Is there another village, is there another way that we can handle this in a gracious manner? in a loving manner, in a patient manner, another village. In that same sense.

And so, if thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him, and if he repent, forgive him. Verse four, and if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turned again to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him. And so be ready to forgive him.

As I was thinking about that, there are definitely some sins that need to be spoken of with your brethren. There are times when we need to address something with a brother or a sister. There are appropriate times for that. But when he says, if he trespassed against thee seven times in a day and seven times turned to thee saying, I repent, In another place, we know he spoke of 70 times 7, 490 times. In other words, there are some things that are just never going to be rooted out of your brethren. And if you spend all your time pointing out every fault and every problem, all you're doing is just constantly having these faults given and taken, and this is all that your whole life is made up. Eventually, you're going to get worn out trying to correct everything in your brethren. 490 times plus, you're going to get worn out. So eventually, you're just going to learn to just skip right up to the forgiveness and be patient. Just say, you know what? It's not even worth bringing this thing up. It ain't ever going to change him, but I love him. And I'm going to leave it to the Lord to bear with him in that. And love him in Christ.

So in other words, and I think what he's saying there is there's some things that are not worth bringing up. There's some things that are just not worth, because that's all it's going to be, as you pointing out everyone's faults all the time. It's just not worth bringing up all these things all the time. In other words, Lord, give me discernment. Give us discernment.

And so thankfully, the Lord did him demand his rights with us and everything, but rather he came bearing the sins of his people and laid down his life to obtain the forgiveness of God for our sins. Why are you going back to the law for righteousness when Christ is our righteousness and our hope? And so I appreciate what the apostles said here in response to our Lord's doctrine of forgiveness. They said, verse five, Lord, increase our faith. Help us, Lord, to hear this. Help us to hear what you're saying and love your people and bear with your people as we ought to. Give us the right spirit in these things. Increase our faith. Help us, because I don't know how to be so merciful and gracious to others. Nothing in the New Testament is more highlighted to us than forgiveness, right? The whole purpose of the Son of God coming was to obtain forgiveness for His people, right? And yet the self-righteous Pharisee just ignores that. The whole purpose of Christ's coming was to obtain forgiveness. And even when He was on the cross, what did our Savior say? Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. They didn't ask for forgiveness. Father, forgive them. Even Stephen was given that same spirit of forgiveness for those that were stoning him. He kneeled down and prayed, Lord, forgive them for this sin. Forgive them for, lay not this sin to their charge. forgive them, all right?

And so that's the spirit he gives his children, a spirit that wants to forgive, not hold account, hold everybody account for their sins and wrongdoing, a spirit that wants to love. Lord, help me to love, help me to forgive, help me to bear with my brethren, help me to receive them, though they're not perfect, because you receive me and I'm not perfect. That's for sure.

And so The Lord shows us these things because nothing, it's very easy for the flesh to demand an exact justice. I want justice, I want vengeance, I want everything to be exact and right and just and equitable perfectly, except when it comes to us, right? And so nothing is more contrary to the flesh than what the Lord is teaching us here about forgiveness.

be trusting the Lord, that though we bear with our brethren, he's able. He's able to bring healing. He's able to turn the heart. He's able to teach his people through the preaching of the gospel. He's able. And so seek him for that spirit, for that spirit to bear with your brethren, to love your brethren, and to show mercy to even your enemies.

Lord, increase our faith. We can learn and agree with the most difficult and strong doctrines. We can receive election. We can receive limited atonement. We can receive the sovereignty of God, and God able to do all things as it pleases Him. We can receive that doctrine, but when it comes to love and forgiveness, bah, they don't deserve forgiveness. They don't deserve that forgiveness. That's the strong doctrine. That's the strong meat of the word there, to love your brethren even when you've been offended. Walk in such love as this.

Lord, increase our faith. You know, as a pastor, and I've heard this from many pastors, there's people that come in and the first thing out of their mouth is, what do you do about church discipline? You ever get that, where people, that's the first thing I wanna know, how do you discipline a sinner? Why do you wanna know that? Why is that the first thing out of your mouth? No one ever asks, what do you do about forgiveness? How do you love the sheep here? How do you bear with your brethren?

And so a lot of people always wanna know what you do about discipline. How about this, Ephesians 4.32, and be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. Be, therefore, followers of God as dear children.

Lord, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm wrong. Help me, Lord. I'm so worried about them. Maybe it's my own heart. Maybe I'm the problem. And walk in love as Christ also hath loved us. If love is such a dirty word, why is it constantly throughout the scriptures?

Walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor." Sweet-smelling savor. I want to be found in Christ. I want to love my brethren in Christ and understand that, or increase my faith in that, that I may love and forgive brethren even when they don't deserve it. Because I see how many, many, many times the Lord has bore with me, though I'd never earned it. I don't deserve it. But that melts the heart. That melts the heart. I pray you give us that spirit of love for one another, brethren. Amen.