garymerkel

So when is justice needed and when if forgiveness needed? Are they mutually exclusive? Since Jesus forgives us our eternal debt because of our sin, does He then say, "Go ahead and live as you want?" No, but rather, "Go and sin no more" = leave the lifestyle of sin. But what about us, when we are betrayed or someone owes us $$$ and walks away? When is it ok to forgive the debt? When is it ok to require justice so the debt is repaid? For, me, I need biblical discernment to know when to forgive a debt and when to ask for justice, legally and biblically.

Q9. (Mark 7:14-23; Matthew 15:10-11, 15-20) What does Jesus teach about the heart of man? What does Jeremiah 17:9 tell us about the heart of man? Why do we try to look good on the outside, but resist letting Jesus change us on the inside? Why is repentance necessary for an outwardly “moral” person in order to be saved? The question for is: Can a person be saved without sanctification? Is there true repentance with out fruit? The "heart" with which we are born spiritually is DEAD. Only through the new birth is a person saved, justified, but when a person is justified, set right with God by NO works of his own, then the sanctification process begins immediately, being set apart for God's use and glory. The connection must be made. The old nature will fight it but the battle is GOOD, because it says there is something NEW inside trying to grow. Resistance to change spiritually is pride, whether King David or anyone else. No outward morality is acceptable to God without repentance because morality, in itself is idolatry = man's idea of being acceptable to God. Our righteousness must come from God and then be worked out in practical living through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Q7. (Matthew 22:1-10; Luke 14:15-24) In Jesus' Parables of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew) and the Great Banquet (Luke), who are the people represented by those recruited from the streets and lanes of the city? From the highways and hedges? Who do the servant-recruiters represent? How diligent are you and your church in recruiting those who are of a lower class than others in your congregation? What keeps you from this Kingdom task? How might your church fulfill it? Lost people to come hear the gospel. Believers. Reaching out is a lifestyle regardless of "class". Witnessing, inviting wherever we go, wherever we are. From the poorest to the richest would be welcome at our church to hear the gospel. The issue often is their misperception of church or a bad experience of a professing believer or the insanity often preached on TV or radio, but mostly a long term hardened heart. Our society is so broken. Of 450 visits over a 3 year period, we did not find one biological family and NONE visited our church. We greeted warmly, gave Bibles and information, expressed love, gave a gift, a gospel tract, but no response. 80+% of people come to church because a FRIEND invited them. This should tell us something...we better be friends to sinners, building biblical relationships as we share Christ.

Q6. (Matthew 22:1-10; Luke 14:15-24) Who do the excuse-makers represent? What are the potential results of excusing ourselves from carrying out God’s will as we know it? Lost people. Ezek. 3: God will hold us accountable at the judgment seat of Christ and we lose blessing in the here and now. Excuses place a huge question mark on our lives of whether we really know Christ or not. Ananias and Sapphira may be good examples of not carrying out God's will. Excuse making is a dangerous way to live and totally not worth it.

Q5. (Luke 13:6-9) What caused Israel’s barrenness in Jesus’ time? What keeps the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) from growing and maturing in our lives? What can we disciples learn from the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree? Disobedience. Disobedience. God expects continual fruit bearing...the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of witness. John 15. Yielding, surrendering to the Holy Spirit along with obedience, empowered by the Spirit...obeying God's Word keeps a person from being barren.

I have personal experience, an ungodly forced resignation in 2011. The church had grown from 125 to 425 in participation over 8 years. 150 baptisms. Solid growth. A thriving AWANA ministry. Expanding youth ministry. Then...a rogue youth pastor and deacons. Bottomline, they were asked why they asked me to leave, "We were growing too fast and getting the wrong people in." "We want our old church back." We had built a new sanctuary, went to 2 services, 1 intentionally traditional, 1 mildly contemporary. I received counsel from 2 long term large church pastors and the DOM. "That's the history of the church...you won't be able to change it." I wept. God opened the door within 3 months to another church 60 miles away. The previous church gave a FULL 6 month severance package. Later, the youth pastor HAD to resign and the worship pastor was shoved out. After 12 years, they are now back to under 200. It still grieves me. I have several friends with whom I'm in contact but we don't discuss this. I still pray for the church who is on their 3rd pastor since me. The church was started in 1886 and had become a small regional church, ready to launch 1 or 2 new church plants. So, before I thought forced resignations were due to at least some pastoral ineffectiveness, but I found out that many pastors are forced to resign who were leading the right way, biblically. REGARDLESS, the church will prevail and the gates of hell will not. God has used us in continually pastoral ministry since and still pastoring, now in year 37. God is faithful even when people are not.

Forgiving the HUGE debt would have been unbelievable in that day. When I consider the debt I owe because of my sin and against Whom I have sinned, it is a much, much greater debt. After being a sold out Christian since age 11, now 73, the debt I owe God and the punishment I deserve is beyond my imagination. I deserve absolute justice and hell forever. According to the world, I'm as good as good can be, but the world's evaluation system has nothing to do with eternity and sin. Years ago a friend owed me $20,000 for lending him and his son the money for a restaurant venture. The restaurant burned, not enough insurance and $20,000 was GONE. The debt was forgiven and the next time I saw him I bought his breakfast, no mention of the money. That's NOT a pat on my back but praise to God. God never misses a step. He has supplied our needs in a wonderful way. Yes, lots of hard work, but God has given the health and energy to work hard. He supplies!! Praise to Him!! I cannot outgive God's forgiveness.

Q4. (Matthew 18:23-35) In the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, where do you see justice? Where do you see grace? Where do you see greed? Where do you see unforgiveness? What lessons from this parable are disciples to incorporate into their lives? These are great questions. As a believer, the questions before me are, "When is mercy to be given?" "When is grace to be given?" "When is justice to be served?" Forgiveness, yes, always, but what does forgiveness mean? Trust? No. But then I ask myself, "Is my forgiveness supposed to be like God's Who is omniscient?" Should trust blindly? At what point should restoration be required like Zachaeus? What are my motives when I forgive? At what point is the fruit of repentance observed? How do I know when I'm being conned and need discernment in the process of forgiveness. After decades of jail/prison ministry have I become jaded? At what point does a person pay consequences even though forgiven? Definitely, God wants me to be merciful and forgive AS He forgives me, but there are times I know I'm forgiven by God but suffer some temporal consequences. After all these years I still ask questions regarding discernment when it comes to justice and grace.

I have to ask myself this question: How large is my debt of sin? My answer: Just as large as the greatest sinner because I sinned against God and sin against God when I sin. My expression of gratitude will take eternity. I received Christ at age 11 and began witnessing and have ever since. After 52 years in ministry I identify with this woman and with the Apostle Paul in Romans 7. God has greatly increased my sensitivity to sin and it deeply grieves me that I sin. The size of the debt cost Jesus coming to die on the cross in my place, taking into Himself the eternal punishment I deserve. As the woman poured out her all, how can I do less? For me, her act of love and devotion was the outgrowth and expression of her salvation, her debt of gratitude so to speak. She saw her sacrificial gift as a privilege and was living Romans 12:1-2 before it was written. My desire, even after 62 years of following Christ is to be like this lady, day by day.

Lost son: Applications? Were both sons "lost", one away and one at home? One outwardly rebellious and one inwardly rebellious. The father loved them both and it appears that the father was a just, loving father. Both sons sinned against their father. One outwardly and one inwardly. Is this a picture of Christians or lost people? These sons, growing up in a Christian home, both lost? Or were they "saved" but "backslidden"? Was the son at home a "Pharisee" and the son away the publican? Does the son who left represent a lost person, knowing ABOUT God, but coming home after sorrowful repentance...saved in the pigpen, but demonstrating humble salvation by returning home with the attitude of a servant. The father...receiving him as the Heavenly Father receives a lost person OR the Heavenly Father receiving a wandering Christian who has come home through repentance? Are there many applications? One main one, but several ways to apply it?

I also like to connect with Revelation and the church at Ephesus that lost its first love. They were doing lots of right things but lost the underlying motivation, God's love. The parable plus other passages like Revelation and the church at Ephesus remind us of the undergirding of the motivation of God's love, whether going after the lost and/or wayward or seeking to reconcile a wayward brother or sister in Christ with their foundation in Christ.

Q2. (Luke 15:11-32) What does this parable have in common with the Parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin? What does the parable tell us about our Father’s way of operating and his values? In what ways does the older son hold his father’s values? In what ways does he lack them? What should disciples learn from this parable to equip them for ministry? I agree with what has been posted but I also apply this to people who have "drifted" in their walk with God since there are many discouraged Christians these days. We must also lovingly go after those who were once active but have allowed other things such as jobs, children's sports & activities, etc to cause them to lose their way...without losing their salvation. The same love and passion is needed, same values. The ministry of reconciliation deals with both the lost and the saved. Lesson: beware of allowing your love to grow lukewarm or cold. Daily time with Jesus in His Word plus sharing what God is speaking into your life will encourage believers and will cause non-believers to think, "What's with this person and their relationship with God?" Just some additional thoughts.

Q3. (Luke 7:41-43, 47) According to Jesus’ Parable of the Two Debtors, do you think the woman was saved prior to the dinner or during the dinner? How effusive is your love for Jesus? How should we as disciples express our gratitude for salvation? 1. Either way, she was saved by grace through faith and her salvation was immediately expressed with the deepest of gratitude. 2. God gives me the love to love Him back. I have no good or love in me except which comes from our Lord. His love overflows and is one of the reasons I've been involved in jail/prison ministry. Except for the grace of God I would be worse than all of them combined. A pride filled person, rejecting the convicting love of God may be worse off than those in prison. 3. I don't not believe, when we stand before God, that we will say, "I wish I had not given my all to Christ." "I wish I had not sacrificed." "I wish I would have done something else." Etc. Whatever the deepest level of gratitude is, that might come from our lives, Jesus is worthy of infinitely MORE. Gratitude is expressed by the way we live, talk, act, and how we freely share God's love through Christ with others. We express our gratitude for salvation through words, actions, body language, attitude, motives, and how we respond to adversity.

Q2. (Luke 15:11-32) What does this parable have in common with the Parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin? What does the parable tell us about our Father’s way of operating and his values? In what ways does the older son hold his father’s values? In what ways does he lack them? What should disciples learn from this parable to equip them for ministry? 1. The eternal value of each lost person. If "lost" sheep and coins are worthy of diligent search, O my, how much more lost souls. 2. God, our Father, planned before the foundation of the universe to search for us, lost, disobedient, and undone...by coming to this earth to take our place on the cross, taking into Himself our eternal punishment, rightfully due, yet offering us forgiveness and cleansing of our souls through free choice. Our lives are priceless to God because HE created us. 3. The older son worked hard for his father. 4. The older son worked hard in order to get, not because he deeply loved his father. 5. Expect rejection, ridicule, indifference, BUT, NEVER stop loving with God's love and reaching out with His love, because of Who He is and What He has done for us. It is our privileged obligation to cooperate with God in His mission in reaching out to the lost with His great salvation. Be patient, God knows the best timing for people to respond to the gospel. Be expectant, but patient. Pray earnestly as the father of the sons obviously did. Ask for the heart of God, then stay active, even in waiting, when we share the gospel. GOD saves, GOD gives the increase. We are successful in God's eyes when we obey, through His love, His call to bear witness of His saving, redeeming grace. Lastly, pray for laborers, influencers for our children and grandchildren. Who knows who might have witnessed to the wayward son.

I am blessed and thankful for this replies. You are wonderful encouragers. I pray God will greatly and continually deepen our love for the lost day by day. Thank you for sharing and God bless you as you bear witness of God's forgiving, saving, grace through Christ.