Right-side up church must begin with the Biblical understanding of Jesus who is at the center of everything!
You are called by God to bring the full impact of a good God and a prosperous Kingdom to a hurting world in desperate need of God’s love.
Jesus teaches on the importance of being unoffendable and then he unveils the power of agreement that releases the Kingdom of heaven into the earth!
Matthew 18:15-22 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. (removed from among you - situations) 18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” 21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. NKJV
The Kingdom of heaven is locked and unlocked in the earth and this is affected by our unity or disunity – spiritual warfare. Don’t associate with people who are always spun up. Your kids will suffer if you keep opening these spiritual doorwayss of division, bitterness and unforgiveness. Clearly spiritual warfare is tied to forgiveness, and this is why Peter asks about forgiveness in this context!
This goes on to say in verse 35 if you don’t forgive others God won’t forgive you. This idea is reiterated in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us as we forgive others” This is the only portion of the Lord’s prayer he reiterated in the following verses:
Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ESV
Obviously, forgiveness is a big deal to God!
So many times, it's our bitterness not our brokenness that holds us back. He gives us beauty for ashes when we turn our hearts to him and let that bitterness go.
So the question I find myself asking myself often is, “Am I mature enough to absorb, like a punching bag, the immaturity and insecurity of those around me?” Can I allow it to be absorbed within me letting it die there, or will I rehearse it letting it offend me. Jesus absorbed our sin and nailed it to his cross.
Peter asks Jesus how many times do we have to forgive and presents a number that was more than twice what Amos 1 suggested. Jewish rabbis, at that time, taught that it was unnecessary to forgive someone more than three times. Peter more than doubled that asking, “Up to seven times?” Jesus blows his best efforts to be godly awesome completely out of the water, “seventy times seven!”
Some translations say seventy-seven times but most of them say seventy times seven, and it is important to understand why. I’ve heard some people suggest this just means “so many times that you lose count” but there is something more here for us to understand. I heard a Jewish scholar explaining this from a very interesting perspective.
Hebrew is alphanumeric meaning every letter has a numerical value. Bethlehem, house of bread has a numerical value of 490. Nativity in Hebrew also has a numerical value of 490. To be perfect or complete in God’s forgiveness is ”Tamim”, which has a numerical value of 490.
Peter asks, How many times do I have to forgive seven times? Jesus says no, seventy times seven = 490.
Why did he pick that number?
Because he is the bread of life 490 born in Bethlehem 490 to bring forgiveness introducing us to His perfect nature, “Tamim” 490.
What is the phrase Jesus taught to pray just before, “forgive us as we forgive others?” Give us this day our daily bread
Unless you extend the bread of forgiveness to others you are withholding it. Unforgiveness resembles holding bread that you’ve been given, telling a starving person to go and die.
Kenneth Haggin said, “The mind doesn’t stay renewed any more than the hair stays combed.” Just as we are to put our hair back in place every day – we must daily renew our minds to keep the mind in place; it is a lifelong process. As we renew our mind with the Word, our life will be transformed.
If a piano is going to be at its best, it needs to be tuned on a regular basis. If we are going to be our best, we must practice being in tune with the Father on a regular basis.
What is God asking you to do in response to this right now?
GP2RL: Do whatever the Holy Spirit is telling you to do this week. Don’t put it off.
