70 X 7 | Student Pastor Zach Hammond
by Zach Hammond
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Matthew 18:21-22, 1 Kings 8:61, Matthew 6:9-15, Matthew 18:23-35, Luke 23:33-34

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/zach-hammond--70-x-7
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Matthew chapter 18 and verse number 21. What a wonderful presence of God that we've already felt in this place tonight. I do want to say very quickly before we dive into the scripture that uh just a big thank you from sister Lauren and I uh for all the texts for all the cards and gifts and food and um banana pudding and things that's been dropped off by our home. I really um appreciate it. I'm a little bit sluggish tonight and people like you didn't get much sleep. I'm like no I'm in a food coma. I've ate too many cupcakes and cookies and uh but thank you so much for um just all your kindness. My uh wife is doing well and so is our newborn and we just thank you as a church for being um just showering us with the congratulations and everything and I'm thankful it is uh Hampton. He's asleep so he won't get uh too worked up about this, but it is uh his little twin. So, you'll hopefully get to meet him sooner sooner than later. But, um, thankful for for God's blessings. It's so great to see the Smiths. Um, you guys are going to be tired of me after this summer. They have every camp I go to, they're there and here they looked up. Here they are tonight. I'm thinking, "Good Lord, somebody else should have preached tonight." And, uh, luckily, I've never preached this before, so you won't hear anything you've heard. I'm thinking, they go from camp to camp like, "You're going to hear a rerun every now and then." So, um, they were there at Kentucky with us and then they showed up down there in Texas and, um, God is good and thankful for them and their ministry and what they're doing here in the United States and traveling and ministering the gospel. Um, I do my best to minister to you tonight. Pastor said there's a a uh preaching spirit here tonight and I come with like a Wednesday night Bible study. So, we'll see what happens here, you know. So, uh, we'll we'll see what happens. Matthew chapter 18. Um then then came Peter to him and said, 'Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Very simple uh question Peter asked, but he he asked him and just as Peter normally does, he doesn't just ask the question, he keeps talking. Peter's the kind where he doesn't just ask the question, he'll try to answer it himself before you answer it. You know, it's like he'll ask the question, answer the question, and then he's, you know, kind of stuck his foot in his mouth and he's like so spiritual. Peter asked the question, he's like, "Should I forgive him seven times?" Is that the the quota that we're looking at? And Jesus said unto him in verse 22, "I say not unto thee until seven times, but until 70 times seven." And that's my title tonight. 70 times seven. I want to preach to you for just a few moments tonight on a very, very simple topic, but I believe it is a huge, huge stumbling block for Christians. It's a thing that we forget about. It's a very simple concept. And many times we've been in this thing far too long. And God's done so many things for us that we forget. God forgave us. And I don't know about you, but I'd love for us just spend a few moments here before we dive off into this and just praise God. Maybe maybe throw the devil off a little bit as Brother Woodward says and lay your Bibles down and could we just praise him for everything he's forgiven you of, everything that you've ever done wrong, everything. And I I don't know about you, but this might be the best praise that we've lifted up all night. That I'm thankful that the blood of Jesus Christ. It reaches to the lowest valley. It goes to the highest mountain. Lord, you pulled me up out of the muck and out of the mire. The things that I've done wrong, the things that I've thought, the things that I've said, the things that have gotten in my heart, you've forgiven me of, you died for me. Come on. Could you just praise him for a moment? Could you lift up a shout of thanksgiving? Could you lift up a shout of praise unto God? Oh, I feel the Holy Ghost in this place right now. Somebody ought to lift up a praise unto God. I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for the blood of Jesus Christ. I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for the cross of Calvary. Come on. If you're an overcomer, would you clap your hands as loud as you can? But would you shout unto God with a voice of triumph? Come on. Would you shout unto God with a voice of triumph? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Tell somebody next to you, say, "God's forgiven you." You can be seated. The Bible oftent times as we open up its scripture and I will do my best to navigate the first part of this this message tonight quickly but I feel it is noteworthy uh to bring light to a concept uh within the text that we would not see in its original English language. And I try not to be one that's always pulling from the Hebrew and speaking stuff that I can't pronounce anyways and all those things. But tonight, if you give me just like maybe five or 10 minutes, I just want to show you something in the text. The original text that we read from in scripture of the Hebrew and the Greek is oftentimes very very different than the English language that's been translated that we we read out of the King James version um or whatever version you choose to read out of. And we how we speak today, how we uh try to describe words even that are used within the King James version that that you know words like perfected. Words like perfected is something that we know none of us are perfect, right? And we know as long as we're in this sinful body, we'll never be perfect. But that word perfected is something that he he uses in a a very interesting way throughout the scripture. He says Job was a perfect and upright. Now, was Job perfect? Surely not. Job was he had s you know that that that this this this Noah guy or this Abraham that that there was there was so many words that were used about them that sometimes if we're not careful we will almost kind of like the devil will use it or our own you know minds and cognitive thinking will almost discourage us into thinking that living for God's impossible. And so even there's some words in there that that sometimes it's just the way it's translated the way we read it. We have to really look at what is, you know, what's being said. Rightly dividing the word of truth, precept upon precept, line upon line. We've talked about it. You, you know, that when we get up here and and no matter who's preaching the word of God, whether it's pastoral staff, whether it's pastor Carpenter, if it's a guest, we're trying to rightly divide the word of God. We're looking at where it was written, why it was written, who it was written to. Is it the Old Testament, the New Testament? Is it past the book of Acts? Is it in the dispensation of the church? Is it the dispensation of the law? Is it who you are you with me tonight? So there's a lot of things that are written and you have to take the text for what it is and rightly divide it. But when it was written the Old Testament specifically in the Hebrew, it was written um and each one and nothing nothing like our our alphabet in the English language. It was written, if you can give me the first slide, each one of the Hebrew letters has a numerical value. Each and every one of them. So as you go through it, not it wouldn't just be ABC E FG. It wouldn't just be that each one of them has this letter. It can almost pre pronounce as a small word even. And it also has so it gets real complicated. It has a a numerical value as well. Peter was being obviously himself as you can see his character within scripture. And he speaks up in our opening text and he's asking Jesus in perhaps this very spiritual way of how many times do I forgive? Do I forgive my brother seven times? And and and and that's how our minds work, right? Even even even us no matter how long we've been serving God, it's hard for us to comprehend mercy. We've talked about that before. It's hard for us to comprehend. We need like a number like, hey, if they've offended me or if they've, you know, done something against me, surely there's like a cap limit, right? Like if they keep doing this eventually, you're just like, hey, you you you're just going to have to go on. You got to do your own thing. I'm going to have to go to a different church. I'm going to have to unfollow you. I'm going to have to block you. I'm going to have to do away with you. I'm going to have to segregate myself. Going to have to get away from you. I got to, you know, because I can't keep forgiving you, right? And I know all the scriptures are coming to all you very spiritual-minded people that Yes. Proverbs, a wise man Solomon says to cast out the scorner. That's true. Mark those who sow discord. That's true. There's nothing but marking them and casting them out. Can I, you know, backing yourself away and those type of things, turning the other cheek. There's all but we're also are required by scripture. That's right. To forgive them. Required by scripture to forgive them. And our mind works the same way Peter's does. Lord, how many times do I have to how many times am I going to let them hurt me? How often am I going to let them just just how often do I have to love my enemies? How often do I have to uh to to turn the other cheek and do these things? And Jesus, as Jesus does, shocks them all. He throws them a curveball and he doesn't give them, you know, seven. Peter, you know, he's thinking the same thing we all are. That's the most Christian number we can throw out. Surely at seven, you know, you know, you go to you go to camp, you you you'll see it this week and definitely could have saw it at Strong Tower camp. You know, if you pick a number between 1 and 10 at church camp, it's always going to be seven. You might as well just tell them what it is. You know, it's like that's the that's that number. And so Peter, he's he's throwing it out there, you know, seven days of creation. Oh, this, you know, this is the perfect God's perfect is throwing at seven. And Jesus comes back. He says, "No, I say not. I say not." That's his that's his that's that's written in red until seven times but rather 70 times seven. Now to us sitting here today we're thinking what in the world's that mean? What's that got to do with anything? You just using another seven and throwing a zero on it. What's the what's the significance of 70* 7? That's just him saying that's a whole lot. You don't get to just forgive them once a week. You got to forgive them a long time. But if they you were standing there that day and you would have been familiar with the script of the law and you would have been familiar with the Old Testament and you would have been uh just you know you know taught and learned the letters that some of them would have been uh taught around. This is not just as random as it is to us in our western minds and our American minds. But the disciples or anyone who would have studied the Hebrew in the day of that of the law, it would have meant a whole whole lot to them when he said 70* 7. Now, I know I got some of you that are uber smart in here, but could anybody tell me what 70* 7 is? We're doing good. I saw a few of you kids were doing good at the academy. Some one of you kids just yell it out. Just real bold. Come on. That's what I thought. Nobody. Not a single one. Thank you, Jackson. I'm pretty sure Drew told you, but we'll go with it. 490. The number 490 is a numerical value that is very significant throughout the Old Testament. This biblical Hebrew word that was used over and over and over again throughout the Old Testament. if you would give me the second slide. It's a word, it's a word called tamim is how it's pronounced. If you can go to that second slide for me. It's the Hebrew word for the concept of forgiveness. And again, all of you that are pulling out grock, don't go and look at the meaning of tamim. Look at the concept throughout the Old Testament because the meaning of it is complete, perfect, or finished. But the concept within it, you will find that of the 91 times that it's mentioned in the Old Testament, 60 of those times is every time throughout the book of Exodus and Leviticus and Deuteronomy and when they're giving sacrifice. In fact, let me give you a little bit of context here and I I want to make sure that you understand this. It means complete, finished, perfect, without spot, without blemish. He says Noah was perfect or tamim in the in his generation in Genesis 6. your lamb in Exodus 12 and the and then that that Passover is to be without to mean spot or blemish. You shall offer up a sacrifice without blemish in Leviticus and Numbers over and over and over again. Deuteronomy says he is the rock and his work is to meme or perfect. 2 Samuel says with the merciful thou shalt show thyself merciful. To me, thou shalt show thyself to me. Psalms, Proverbs uses this to tell us to walk upright and perfect. Those words are over and over and over again. It it refers to this this concept that Job was that Tamim that perfect and upright. Ezekiel over and over again tells us about sacrifice about seven bulocks without blemish or Tamim. The Tamim was used and talked about throughout the Old Testament over and over and over again and especially in the laws that they would have had to know and practice over and over and over again. The Tamim was used as a concept to discuss and to describe and to make sure that they discipline themselves about a kingdom exchange called sacrifice. It's the backbone of the entire Bible. It's the only way man's sin could be atoned throughout the Old Testament. It was the blood of a clean or tam animal that it would be used 60 times in sacrificial terms. So when he mentioned this number, it was not just any number. It reminded them of this very word because we see that if you take the letters of this word, it sums to our mathematicians over here the same sum of 490. Well, what in that really don't have anything to do with anything nowadays? You know, we're scrolling the internet. We're doing a lot of things. What does this have to do with anything? It's a concept that it's translated and maybe on in our terms better understood as this concept that the Hebrew word is that if a person does not have an altar, it will they will always be unfinished. If a person does not have an altar, it will always be incomplete. If a human being does not have a place where sin can be atoned and there can be an exchange, it will always be unfinished. Without forgiveness, there is no remission of sins. Without forgiveness, there is no relationship with God. Without forgiveness, there is no seeing God in the right way. It's an incomplete life. It will lack the filling or understanding of the finished work of Calvary. All right. First Kings 8:61 says, "Let your heart be perfect to me." forgiveness. And all of this, Jesus is saying a lot when he turns to them and he takes man, he takes Peter's idea of what forgiveness should amount up to of seven and he multiplies it to give us a complete understanding of forgiveness. He didn't just choose 70 because it was just something he threw out there. He chose it to sum up the idea of the Old Testament says if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do a complete work. I'm not just somebody who starts something and don't finish it. He doesn't just throw something out there. He throws he lets them know, hey, when I say it, I'm I am the word. I am he ties it together so many times. And this is just one thing that if we we don't understand the Old Testament and we don't understand Hebrew and you sure don't have to to make it to heaven. But sometimes it will really fortify and give revelation to things and help us understand that when Jesus says something, he don't waste his words. He's not just throwing things around. Now you you want to be blameless. We want to be without spot, without blemish. He uses this concept in the New Testament about presenting the church, his bride, a complete work. And you will forgive. You will forgive as I have forgiven you. There's only one other word in the Hebrew that has the same numerical value and it really has nothing to do with forgiveness, which was the topic at the moment. Could you give me the third slide? It's the word for Bethlehem. It's the birthplace of Jesus Christ. And it also means, as you know, if you've been around the text at all, it means house of bread. It gives us the same sum. There is no other word in the entire Hebrew alphabet that equals up to this amount. This makes sense knowing that Jesus was born without sin. the perfect sacrifice. It's described as the nativity without blemish that we could be complete, that we could make be made perfect in his image, that we would be forgiven. So you begin to correlate some scriptures and we'll shift now here to our text Matthew 6. Let's look at Matthew 6 and verse 19. And this manner therefore pray ye. You know the teaching them to pray. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. And Jesus says, "Thy will be done as it is in heaven in earth as it is in heaven." Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Now, those of you that have given me a little bit of leniency on the scripture tonight after you've read this, that seems to correlate a whole lot more. You could say it. I don't really I don't think it Yeah. Yeah. You're just stretching it there. You could say that, but could you just give me leadway for a couple seconds? You don't get the house of bread. You don't get the daily bread without the complete work of forgiveness. That's right. Could could you could you don't get God's goodness. You don't get God's blessing. You you you you don't access the first until he says, "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." The bread and forgiveness. How off should we forgive, Lord? 70* 7. He is the bread of Bethlehem. I'll give you what you need. I'll bless you. I'll lead you. I'll guide you. Everything that comes in the text, I've come that you may have life and have it much more abundantly. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we Everybody say that out loud. As we as we He will forgive us. As we as we forgive our debtors. This is not something we really want to talk about. And that is that's nestled in there. We quote that. We put it on the refrigerator. We can tweet it. We can do all that. That's that prayer. We follow that prayer guide, but we don't often times look at it, you know, we want we're trying to debate scripture. That's not really one that gets debated. So, you don't really look at the context of it and where it's written. He said, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen." And we end there. What's 14 say? For if you've forgiven men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses. The Lord's prayer is nestled in a lesson on forgiveness and and we can pray and we want to be led and we want to be blessed and we want the bread and we want but he says you you you can you can read and you have access to all those things if you can forgive. if you can forgive. Take us to our opening text, Matthew 18:22. He's just asked the question. Peter says, we give we we're going to, you know, maybe maybe forgive him seven times. And Jesus says, "No, 70* 7." So verse 22, Jesus says unto them, he begins to ter tell a parable seven times but until 70 times seven. In verse 23, therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king which would take account of his servants. And when he had began to reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him 10,000 talents. 10,000 talents. But for as much as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold and his wife and his children and all that he had and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And the lord of the servant was moved with compassion. Moved with compassions. His compassion fails not. Yes. And he loosed him and forgave him the debt. Now, it's pretty obvious who the Lord is, right? Yes. He's telling a parable, but I I hope you're picking up what Jesus is putting down. Forgave him his debt. But the same guy who was just laid on the floor about to lose his family, about to lose everything he's got. The same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants, found one of his brothers and put it where we're at today. scrolling through Facebook, which owed him a hundred pence, which said something about him, and he laid hands on him, and he took him by the throat. Took him by the throat. It's hard to talk when somebody's got you by the throat. Took him by the throat, saying, "Pay me that thou owest. and his fellow servant fell down at his feet and besought him, saying, "Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all." Same thing. Same position he was just previously in a few scriptures ago. Same position. He was just laid at the feet of someone he owed. And here he has someone laying at his feet. And he would not, but he went to cast him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry and came and told unto the Lord all that was done. Then his lord after that had he called, he called him and said unto him, "Oh thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt because thou desireth me. Shouldn't not thou also have compassion on the fellow servant, even as I have had pity on thee?" and his Lord was wroth. This this is where it gets again. He He was Lord up in that top part, right? That's the Jesus we want to talk about. That's the God that we want, you know, that has compassion and forgives. But now this is the portion of it where we almost want to shift and ignore the idea that God would do such a thing. His lord was angry, was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors. Huh? Till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise, in case you didn't get the story, so likewise shall my heavenly father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother, their trespasses, This is so interesting to me because we do not depict this. Brother Jacob, can you help me for a second? They they we do not depict this this way. We we we've got all of these things in our life. We carry all of these things to God. We've done all of these things. Some of us, we come to God at a very early age. And then some of us, we come to God maybe in our our 20s or maybe in our 30s or maybe in our 40s and we've got some baggage. We've got some things that we we're dealing with and we've got some problems and and and and and we've got some some things that's just been we we're we're thankful to be able to give them to God. We're thankful for the grace and the mercy of God. Right? We started off the sermon saying, "God, we thank you for forgiveness. We thank you for all the things that you've done for us. You've got all these things that are happening in your life and you just know we're Christians. His mercy is new in the morning, right? I may have failed him. I may have done something wrong, but Lord knows if I know how to do anything. This is a praying church and we know how to get around the altar. We know how to ask for forgiveness. We can ask for forgiveness and we can cling to that scripture that says he'll remove it as far as the east is from the west. we'll cling to a cross it because it it removes and it frees us and it gives us liberty from all the things and Lord we start singing about that and it's a shouting time cuz we understand and God knows we use the blood that that that that that blood that's got a voice that bloods and I'm thankful for it and we major on that part because it applies to us. But I don't know about you, but this scripture, it depicted something in my mind that happened while we were at the hospital. My wife, I don't know if any of you ladies can attest to it, but she's been doing what they call nesting. I thought, dear God, we got to get this baby here. We're going to have to, you know, build a new house, remodel this whole thing. stuff keeps showing up on the front porch. My camera goes off. Says, "Do you want me to guard this package?" And I think that's the funniest thing in the world. First of all, if you got one of them little cameras, say, "What you going to do? Going to beep at it or something?" "Guard the package, like bark at it or something." Sitting there in the hospital and these packages just keep showing up the front porch. I'm like, "What? What's this?" Thankfully, people coming by and sticking them inside. you know, he can't get the door open. You know, just little things, you know, that that baby's got so many pacifiers, just stuff. And I I began to think as reading this text, I believe some of us truly show up and we go to leave the house some mornings and we can't get the front door open because there's unexpected delivery on the front porch. We show we we we try to come home at night and we show up and there's there's packages on our spiritual porch and we think, man, what in the world is all this? And spiritually, I I want you to see this tonight. I do this simply just to kind of just paint a picture in your mind that you you when you do not forgive somebody, right? This is not the Jesus and the, you know, the the the biblical idea that we want to embrace when it comes to forgiveness because God knows we need forgiveness. But he tells us just as it is is in this story. He said, "Likewise, it is in the kingdom of God." And this is again, I know this is not popular preaching, but this is what the scripture says, right? He takes everything that I've ever done. Oh my. Oh well, it's under the blood. It is when he forgives you. But when you don't forgive your brother, he takes and he brings everything that he forgive you gave you of and he puts it on your front porch. Some of us are so concerned and so bogged down and so anxious and so worried and so fearful and so frustrated and we don't know why. But if you really looked in the depths of your heart, in the depths of your thoughts, and some things that really, you know, there's that one person that you just, I really don't know that they're going to make it. You know, I really don't know. You got some really thing, some things that you, it's easy to say some things that, you know, really aren't biblical about that person. And you don't realize that all the stuff that you can't handle, that just keeps showing up, that just keeps finding itself in your life and troubling you, is because you're not forgiving somebody that's done you wrong. There is this the concept within scripture in this world, you're going to have trouble. Be of good cheer. He says, "I've already overcome the world." It's it's it's a powerful thing. But I can't help that when Peter is intrigued about forgiving others, how many times Jesus tells him 70* 7. He gives him a number that is complete, finished, without spot, without blemish. And God knows, we all know as Christians that God did his part. All right? Yes, sir. He took our mess and he threw it as far as the east is. And we love that part. That'll get you startled. That'll get your heart pumping. That'll get your emotions running when you know if it wasn't for God. But let me remind you on this Sunday evening. That it's not a complete work. It's not a finished work. It's not 70* 7. It's not the tame of the Old Testament. It's not perfect and upright until you and I get unforgiveness out of our heart. He did his part. My question for you tonight, did you do yours? Have you done yours today? Cuz just as much, hear me tonight. The concept that I want to get across to this body of of Christ tonight that is some of the greatest people in all the world that if we can grasp this in our world today, it's one of the biggest challenges in Christianity. I believe that we get the God part. We get the daily altar of forgiveness. We get the bowing down and laying oursel down, but we get back up and we have an issue with somebody else. Just because God forgave you, we got to turn around and say, "God, forgive us as we forgive them." That's because God God can't clear your porch. God can't clear your porch until you get over here. You say, "Hey, hey, hey, this that you owe me. Don't worry about it. I I'm sorry I said that. I'm sorry, Brother Dean. I'm sorry if I've ever done any. I I'm sorry. I I know you you may have said that. You didn't mean that. I know you were upset. I've been angry before. I've been wrought before. I've had issues before. I've had thoughts before. I've had things in my life. And you just walk around. You're literally And you're relieving everybody else of their issues. You're relieving everybody. Say, "Well, they didn't say they were sorry." It don't matter. You got to clear. You got to clear your porch. You got to clear your It doesn't matter. You are not forgiven until you forgive. It's not popular. We just want this thing with me and Jesus. I got my own thing going. I don't think so, sir. Those people that are detaching themselves from the body of Christ, detaching themselves from the church of the living God, detaching themselves from pastoral authority, you'll be living with a package on your porch. You'll be living with some problems. Why? because you are trying to take yourself and isolate yourself and think that you've got all these things going on and it's just all well and good with you and Jesus. But the problem we have especially with us in our holiness movement and God knows I believe holiness and sanctification, separation and all those things as strong as anybody in this room. Yes, sir. But sometimes we get so up in the clouds that we forget that God forgave us of some things. Well, you know, I pray three or four times a day. I speak in tongues. I got my dress on. I got my suit on. I I got Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's all well and good, but you better remember that you're still as dirty a rotten old sinner as you were when you came to God. If you've got ought in your heart against somebody else, you're as messed up as you were strung out on the street on drugs, you might as well be on that bar stool. If you've got unforgiveness in your heart, I get it. I could see it on some of your face. I'm messing with your theology. I'm messing with the whole blood is covered thing. I'm not saying that everybody's got to apologize to you, but you got to release them from your heart. You got to release the pain. You wouldn't believe what they did to me. I know. I get it. People hurt people. People hurt. But it's not a complete work till we forgive. It's not a finished work. 70 times 7. Could I give you one of the greatest revelations I could give you tonight? Some of you think the devil's bringing up your past. The devil's not bringing up your past. Your pastor's not bringing up your past. your friends, your father-in-law, and your mother-in-law. Those people that you think are against you, that's been trying to help you and trying to teach you and love you and know your deep, deepest, darkest secrets and the things that you struggle with and the things that God brought you from. They're not the ones bringing up your past. You're holy, righteous, holier than now, looking at everybody else's spec, but got a beam in your own eye. spirit is what is pulling and resurrecting the skeletons in your closet again I understand tonight Jesus over and over and over again I don't have time tonight read Mark's account read Luke's account be careful that we are not giving life to our past problems through unforgiveness. I want to keep under the blood what's under the blood. I never want to raise that mercy seat. But unforgiveness will unforgiveness says no. It almost looks like there's like this there's just like this weird thing. It's like, well, I thought you forgave me. I thought I fell at your feet and you know, my wife, we were going to be my kids and everything. I I thought you forgave me. You had compassion on me and I had this moment with God. I had this altar experience. I had this time at a camp. I had this time with God in a prayer meeting and you washed me and you cleansed me and you forgave me. That's God's powerful part to our surrender. But how we know that we're truly forgiven is to free everybody else. Yes, sir. That's ever done anything wrong to us. I heard brother Joelian make the statement. I know I think I heard brother Nolan mentioned it preaching a few weeks ago. Acts two when he says he says then Peter said unto them repent be baptized for the remission of sins. It's not just your sins. He says of sins. That's sins that you committed. Sins committed against you. Things that's been done to you. That's a perfected, finished, complete work. So when you're baptized, that's not just, yeah, I mean, yeah, it's a significant moment and we we know that's for the remission of sins. It's essential for baptism, but that doesn't mean that when you come up that all that's gone and it can never be brought up again. He says, you have to wash yourself with the word. You got to remind yourself that you're forgiven. You got to take up your cross daily and follow him. It's not just this one time experience where I've been forgiven and I'm never going to sin again. Nor is anybody else going to ever sin against me. So, I've got to constantly, consistently go back to an altar and go back to my brother and to my sister and make sure that the covenant is not just with God, but with people. How can you say that you love God, not love your neighbor? He wants it to be without spot and blemish. Let the church be in unity. Let the bride be in one accord. Let it be 70 times seven. One last thing I want to maybe depict for you. Pastor mentioned it a few I believe it was the last Sunday talked about the day of atonement the two goats two goats are are very interesting and how they would bring the the goats in the two goats and they would cast lots they had a little bag had a black rock and a white rock in it they would pull one out and you know one would basically like flipping a coin to see which one's going to be the scapegoat which going to be the Lord's goat and when they would take they had a scarlet cord and the scarlet cord was used for everything they would tie it on the door of the temple they would tie it around the head of the Lord's goat would signify the same thing as him being the sacrificial lamb. They would put that crown of thorns on his head. But then uh the the one that would be I'm sorry around his neck. The one that would be the scapegoat. They would tie it around his head. And the Bible says they would take a fit man, a strong man would take that goat and he would lead him out of the city. He would take him out of the city. And even some Jewish commentaries will say that, you know, he would probably try to find a cliff and like nudge him off, you know. Seriously, that's what it says. It says, "Get rid of that dude." You know, because let me explain to you what happened. Cole, can you help me for a second? Can you be a goat? I won't make you get down on all four. Well, on the day of atonement, something powerful that happened. They bring that goat out and this gets real awkward. Like, we had church like this today. There'd be like five people there. Okay. Day of priest comes out, you you know, you're the scapegoat and you're kind of thankful. you know, you at least got your chances with you and the fit man. You're not going to be laying on the altar, you know, gone, you know, dead. So, the scapegoat, this day of atonement happened once a year. The priest would lay his hands on the head of that goat. And this wasn't like our father who art in heaven, hallowed be. No, no, no. He said, 'Lord, I want you to cover Johnny cheating on Suzie. Everybody's thinking, Johnny is cheating on Susie with who? If you wait a few minutes, you'll hear it. Cuz my my priest or brother, I don't know if there was a scroll laying on the goat's back. I don't know where he's reading all this or if he's got it memorized, but we think pastoring's hard today. My boy recited all the sins for a year of a lot of folks. And you could take that how you want it. The way I take it is literal. I mean, he's quoting it. Maybe they come up behind him. They're, you know, it's like they're telling him he's putting it on his goat's head. I don't know. I got a lot of things that and Samson killing all them guys with the jawbone. That I need to see that. Yeah. like but he's standing there got his and so all this procedure had been take has taken place they leave this goat out that you know he takes him out with a fit man I'll be the fit man I don't I mean I I don't think I'm fit but we'll just play along all right fit man he takes him out and he you know leads him way out of town all right leads him way out of town and they go back in they say that when this goat passes over for the horizon. It's like, you know, Tennessee finally scores a touchdown at kneeling. They said the Israelites go crazy. Like this guy, they did a goat. He's gone. Everybody goes bonkers. You know, the whole Israelite, the whole camp just woo, we're going nuts. All right. So, we lead you out. We don't see him anymore. All of our sins have been carried away. We got rid of all the sins. We've taken care of it. Maybe we've gotten rid of all the sins and and we're thankful and we're worshiping God and the camp is just it's it's we're having a shouting time on a Sunday night. God's doing great things. Brother Hammond's about to preach a short message. First time he's done that in years. God's doing great things. and and you you know, we're just thankful that the priest did everything right and everybody did everything right. I'm a little ashamed what the priest had to say, but all of a sudden, hey, what what's that goat doing? Huh? What? Why? Why' the goat show back up? What? All of a sudden, here comes walking back in all your problems, all your issues, all your s you say that that's that's the New Testament parable that Jesus speaks of. So the Old Testament we see here, we we could we could we could see this concept and I I couldn't help but as I I begin to think through the process of this parable Jesus teaches. I could not believe what it would be like that you get in your car on a Sunday night after God has just done a Holy Ghost working and shaking and stirring on you and you get in the car and all of a sudden you look over and there's that old goat. Now, hey, listen. I know where every single one of you honory husbands just went. That stands for greatest of all time. All right, Ferris, don't use that one tonight. But can you imagine the confusion? Can you imagine the camps like, "Hey, you need to, you know, telling the priest, you know, and everybody's, you know, you probably should have got a little better fit man. You know, what's the goat doing? He's supposed to carry it away. Take it away. This one ain't going nowhere. It's dead. Supposed to take it away. It's supposed to be done in procedure." That's such an interesting story because a lot of things are happening. They're they're pulling rocks out of bag and they're tying ropes around stuff. tying ropes on the door of the the the temple and and all of a sudden we know that there's a lot of mystery within the the the the Jewish history of when Jesus was crucified all of a sudden all their stuff stopped working. The doors of the temple were flinging wide open at night scaring everybody half to death. You can see it. It's some of the most interesting reading you'll ever read in Jewish history. They're like, "We don't know why it's not working. We tied the cord on there and the cord won't turn white. Every time we pull a rock out, it's black. We don't know what's going on. None of this stuff's working. Well, the reason it's not working is there's been a complete work on Calvary. You don't need to be carrying goats out of the city anymore. You don't need to be doing this. But but what I I want you to understand tonight is is Jesus begins to tell something there to Peter and the disciples that is boggling their mind because when they would do it once a year, when they would do it in the Old Testament, it was the Tamim. It was done perfect. It was complete. The goat's gone. The goat's dead. The cord's white. All these things have happened. It was without spot. It was without blemish. It was a a a perfect land. We put it on the doorpost and God opened up the waters. God does the miracles. God leads us and God guides us. God's done all these things. And that's the God that we've been serving all these years. That's the God that we read about. He's a complete. He's a author. He's a finisher. And Jesus begins to tell us that the work's not complete unless we now do what Christ did for us to someone else. And many of us have bought into Christianity because what God has done for us, but we've not really bought into what we're supposed to do for our brothers and for our sisters. I never want to live a life where there's packages on the porch because I've got something in my heart against somebody. You never need that spiritual goat walking back into your house. You never you never want those skeletons in your closet all of a sudden start speaking up because you've got unforgiveness in your heart. You'll stand to your feet tonight. Luke chapter 23, Sister Ericson, if we can just have a piano. Luke chapter 23 and verse 33, would you close your eyes and just pray for a moment? Father, the Holy Ghost is in this place. Jesus, we need you. Luke, Luke chapter 23. When they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him. The malfactors, one on the right, other on the left. Then said Jesus, "Father, forgive them. They don't even know what they're doing. They they forgive them. They're hurting me. Don't know they're hurting me. They have no clue what they're doing. Even the devil don't know what he's doing. Nobody knows what they're doing. Jesus is forgive them. They parted his raignment and cast lots. I want to speak to somebody tonight. There's a father in this place that you've been hurt by your father. There's mothers in this place that you've been abused with words. You've had things said to you. You've had things done to you. And although you know that God has forgiven you of anything that you've done wrong, young person, we can't have hatred in our heart toward anybody. We can't just throw words around and we can't just disassociate oursel from people and cut people off and say, "I'm just not going to be I'm not going to have anything to do with them and just be reckless with how we live our lives one to another." But think we've got this unified perfect complete work with God because before he can say it is finished he had to say father forgive them that 70* 7 is a complete a finished work you want a finished work it requires me saying forgive them forgive her forgive him. And you say, "When? How many times, Peter? When? How?" I'll tell you what Jesus did. Jesus forgave him while the blood was still flowing out of his hands. Jesus forgave him while they were still mocking him. Jesus forgave him while they were casting lots for his raignment. Jesus forgave him while he was still on. He didn't wait and do it when he was showing his scars to Thomas. He did it while he was on the cross and it was hurting and it was painful. I'll tell you the best thing that we can learn as the body of Christ is to forgive fast. Don't you sin and let that thing fester and create bitterness and hatred. While a womb was fresh, Jesus says, "Father, forgive them. I'm sorry. You know how many relationships today that I could look back over and say that I said sorry to somebody or I said, "Hey, would you forgive me?" Let's be honest with you, I didn't do anything wrong. But it was fresh wounds that mended a relationship. And I understand some of you are looking at me and saying, "Hey, this is a age-old wound. I was done wrong years ago. My kids treated me wrong years ago. I was hurt by a spouse years ago. I was mistreated by my parents years ago." Well, just just because there's there's there there's there's scars over those wounds and they've been healed for a long time don't mean that spiritually you can't clear out your front porch. That's right. don't mean that spiritually you can't get rid of the things God's going to remove it, but he needs you to get that unforgiveness out of your heart tonight. He needs you say, "I want to be used in the kingdom of God. I want to do things, but I keep running into something and I can't get past it. And I want to do great things, but I keep running into something." You got to get over the hurt. And I know that's way easier said than done, but we can cling to a cross, but the finished work of Calvary is 70 times seven. Every one of us daily. He forgives you. We forgive as we are forgiven. I want you to bow your heads tonight. I know this church is so great at responding to the word of God, but I want to make a specific call to somebody who the Lord is reaching for you tonight to pray and it may not be a prayer of forgiveness for your sins, but to pray a prayer. Say, "Father, I release them of every wrong thing they've ever done to me." If God is speaking to you right now, invite you to walk out of your pew and come to this altar and it be a prayer for somebody else to say, "God, I forgive that past hurt. God, I forgive those words. God, I forgive." You might be in the middle of a situation right now where you're struggling to overcome just how wronged you've been done. You're struggling to overcome the things that's been said to you. You're struggling to overcome the pain that you felt from some of the people closest to you. But you just got to say, "God, I forgive them. Why? Because you forgave me. I can't hold anybody. I can't hold anybody's debt because you cleared mine." Let this altar be filled with Christians who say, "I want the complete the finished work of Calvary." Let your glory fill this room this morning. Let your glory fill this room in this moment, God. Lord, let your power, your overcoming power. Some of you are going to begin to feel liberty and freedom as you begin to speak those words. I forgive them. I release them. Come on. And I know they hurt you. I know it wasn't right. But he forgave them while they were crucifying him. He forgave them while he was being beat. He forgave them while he was being beat. He didn't deserve it. You didn't deserve it. You did. Let the power of the cross speak to you. And it not just be that he redeems you, but it releases everyone that's ever wronged you. Come on. God wants to touch you. Saints, body of Christ, be all that you are right now. Find somebody to pray with. There's people that's been mistreated. There's people that's been done wrong. But God wants to clear their porch tonight. It's a complete work. It's a finished work. Come on, altar workers. This is just as important as anything else. Could you help me pray with your brother, your sister? Could we unify in one accord tonight? Say, "God, wash us. God, unify us. Let us be in one mind. Let us be in one accord. Let there be nothing between us. Oh God, bind us together. Oh God, bind us together, oh God. Come on. That's it. I'm asking every person, could you yoke up with somebody? Could you grab the hand, the shoulder of somebody? There's people praying all over this altar. You don't know what they've been through. You don't know how wrong they've been. You don't know the things that they've been hurt by. But God is loosing us tonight. God is delivering us tonight. God is forgiving us tonight. And he's forgiven us as we forgive our debtors. Come on, release them right now. Oh. under Rabbi. Oh God. Oh mighty God. Bind us together tonight. Bind us together tonight. Let there not be an alt in this place, Lord. Let there not be anything that divides us, Lord. Let not anybody have a against anybody else. Oh God, let no brother have any against any other God. Let no sister have any odd against any other sister. Let us be in one accord. Let us be a bride. Let us be a church without spot, without blemish. Oh God, Oh God. Hallelujah. Come on for just a few more moments. There's people praying. This would be a good time, dad, mom, to get your family. This be a good time for you to gather up. Pray with somebody. Love. Love each other as Christ loved us. Forgive one another as Christ forgives us. The presence of the Lord is here. That's it, young person. That's it, young person. Release that. Release that frustration. Release that anger. He that was without sin was crucified. He that was without sin was crucified. How much the more should we that's been forgiven forgive in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. Yes, God.