Those Who Trespass Against Us

Matt 6:9-13

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trepasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. KJV

HOLOCAUST VICTIM FORGIVES CAPTOR

Emotions; Feelings; Forgiveness; Hatred; Help from God; Injustice; Obedience

MATTHEW 6:14-15; MATTHEW 18:21-35; EPHESIANS 4:30-32; COLOSSIANS 3:13

Corrie ten Boom and her family secretly housed Jews in their home during WWII. Their “illegal” activity was discovered, and Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to the German death camp Ravensbruck. There Corrie would watch many, including her sister, die.

After the war she returned to Germany to declare the grace of Christ:

It was 1947, and I’d come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives. It was the truth that they needed most to hear in that bitter, bombed-out land, and I gave them my favorite mental picture. Maybe because the sea is never far from a Hollander’s mind, I liked to think that that’s where forgiven sins were thrown.

“When we confess our sins,” I said, “God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever. And even though I cannot find a Scripture for it, I believe God then places a sign out there that says, ‘NO FISHING ALLOWED.’ ”

The solemn faces stared back at me, not quite daring to believe. And that’s when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a cap with skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush–the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister’s frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were! That place was Ravensbruck, and the man who was making his way forward had been a guard–one of the most cruel guards.

Now he was in front of me, hand thrust out: “A fine message, Fräulein! How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!” And I, who had spoken so glibly of forgiveness, fumbled in my pocketbook rather than take that hand. He would not remember me, of course–how could he remember one prisoner among those thousands of women? But I remembered him. I was face-to-face with one of my captors and my blood seemed to freeze.

“You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk,” he was saying. “I was a guard there.” No, he did not remember me. “But since that time,” he went on, “I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fräulein,”–again the hand came out–“will you forgive me?”

And I stood there–I whose sins had again and again to be forgiven–and could not forgive. Betsie had died in that place. Could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking? It could have been many seconds that he stood there–hand held out–but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.

For I had to do it–I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. “If you do not forgive men their trespasses,” Jesus says, “neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart.

But forgiveness is not an emotion–I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. “Jesus, help me!” I prayed silently. “I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.” And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust out my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

“I forgive you, brother!” I cried. “With all my heart!” For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely, as I did then. But even then, I realized it was not my love. I had tried, and did not have the power. It was the power of the Holy Spirit.

Citation: Corrie ten Boom, Tramp for the Lord (Berkley, 1978), pp. 53-55;

Those who trespass

Mentally…

Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. KJV

Physically…

Matthew 5:39-41

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. KJV

Former Mass. Bishop Faces Abuse Charges

Sexual abuse among clergy … Catholic Church.

Politically…

Matthew 5:44

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; KJV

This is not license to sit back and do nothing.

We cannot sit idly by while our children are taken out from under us.

We cannot forget 9/11 …

Ask Spain if Al Queda is still a threat.

Homicide Bomber Strikes Israeli Port

11 Israelis killed, 18 wounded in twin attacks in Ashdod; Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and Hamas claim responsibility; chemical containers may have been targeted

Terrorism is STILL a problem.

Socially…

Same sex marriage …

Gavin Newsom – Mayor of San Francisco – slapped down by the California Supreme Court.

Gay Marriage Ban Wins Preliminary OK in Massachusetts

Oregon Judge OKs Gay Marriage Licenses

As Christians we had better NEVER let our pocketbook over rule our conscience.

Passion of Christ – $264,041,000.00 as of today.

30 Million Production; 15 Million marketing.

Matt 18:15-17

15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. KJV

Offense = Unbelief – it binds the work of God in our lives.

Matt 13:57-58

57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. KJV

Spiritually…

Beware

Phil 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. KJV

Matt 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. KJV

Matt 7:15 Beware of false teachers who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are wolves and will tear you apart. TLB

Offended Seed

Mark 4:14-20

14 The sower soweth the word.

15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. KJV

Forgiveness

Matt 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. KJV

Don’t Just Talk About It Do Something …

The amazing potential of only eleven minutes…

Years ago, there was a man who drove a street car in a big city. In the middle of the day each day, he would get to the end of his run, and stop and take a break, and then turn and begin his run back in the other direction. Before he started back on the evening run, he had an eleven minute break there at the end of the line. The streetcar stopped at an empty lot on the edge of town. It was an old deserted lot that nobody wanted. It was spoiled by trash and rubbish that had washed over it in rainy weather, and trash that people had dumped on it while nobody was looking. There were broken bottles and rusty cans and trash of all kinds laying everywhere.

One day, as the streetcar driver was standing around taking his eleven minute break, it occurred to him that he could make better use of his break by occupying his time cleaning up the lot. At first, he started picking up the paper that he saw. Then the cans, then the bottles and broken glass.

After several days, spending only eleven minutes at a time, the property began to look dramatically different. With a sickle, he cut the grass a little at a time. In the spring, he planted flower seeds, small shrubs, and cuttings from shrubs. Just using a little time each day, the streetcar operator converted the ugly vacant lot into a beautiful place that looked like a park. Everyone that saw it was impressed and delighted.

What could a similar effort produce in a human life?

It is a tragedy to see the many people whose lives look just like that ugly old vacant lot. Their lives are filled with debris, and clutter and chaos. Too many people become the dumping ground where wretched and miserable experiences have dominion. Every person must at some time find the moral and spiritual discipline to clean away the chaos and confusion of their lives. Otherwise, they will become victims of their own carelessness.

Eleven minutes a day is not a very long time, but just like the streetcar driver who turned a trash lot into a scenic park-like area, we could dramatically change our own lives with just a few minutes of genuine effort each day.