Humility & Forgiveness

5 Discourses:
1. Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Ethics (Mt. 5, 6 & 7 - concludes 7:28)
2. Kingdom Discipleship (Mt. 10 - concludes 11:1)
3. Kingdom Parables (Mt. 13 - concludes 13:53)
4. Life in the Kingdom Community (Mt. 18 - concludes 19:1)
5. The Coming Kingdom - Kingdom Consummation (Mt. 24-25 - concludes 26:1)

Life in the Kingdom Community
Humility - like that of a child
Sin - When you sin against others
Humility - Be careful how your actions affect others
Sin - When others sin against you
Forgiveness & Restoration

All about church life - sin, holiness, temptation, humility, discipline, repentance and forgiveness and restoration.

Humility - humble yourself and come as a child in dependence, awe and childlike faith.
- Mt. 18:1-4
- Matthew 10:37–39 - [37] Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. [38] And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. [39] Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (ESV)
- Matthew 16:16 - [16] Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (ESV)
- Matthew 16:23 - [23] But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (ESV)

Sin - careful about how your sin will affect others: God takes that very serious.
- Mt. 18:5-9
- Don’t cause a brother to sin
- Romans 14:13-23 - Do not cause another to stumble
- 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 - food offered to idols

Humility - don’t despise one of these little ones.
- Mt. 18:10-14
- James 2:2-8 - the sin of partiality

Sin - others sinning against you.
- Mt. 18:15-20 - the section on church discipline
- Reprove / Confront in PRIVATE
- Take along two or three WITNESSES to establish the charge and the response.
- Opportunity to repent and be reconciled
- The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him. (Proverbs 18:17)
- Tell it to the CHURCH
- Opportunity to repent and be reconciled
- If the person still does not repent then he is to be PUT OUT of the church (some call this Excommunication - removal from fellowship)
- 1 Corinthians 5:1–2 - [1] It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. [2] And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. (ESV)
- 1 Timothy 1:18–20 - [18] This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, [19] holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, [20] among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. (ESV)
- 2 Thessalonians 3:14–15 - [14] If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. [15] Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. (ESV)
- 1 Corinthians 5:13 - [13] God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” (ESV)
- CALL BACK TO GOD AND THE CHURCH COMMUNITY
- 2 Corinthians 2:5–7 - Forgive the Sinner [5] Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. [6] For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, [7] so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. (ESV)

Forgiveness - Restoration (The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant)
- Mt. 18:21-35
- v.21 Peter’s Generosity in Forgiveness
- v.22 Jesus’ Correction
- v.23-35 The Parable
- Titus 3:2–7 [2] to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. [3] For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. [4] But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, [5] he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, [6] whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, [7] so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (ESV)
- Do not forget all the grace and mercy you have received.
- Forgiven people forgive people.
- Does not mean forgetting or giving your trust in limitless and dangerous fashion:

Forgiveness — Reconciliation —Restoration

Colossians 3:12–17 - [12] Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, [13] bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. [14] And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. [15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. [17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (ESV)