Forgiveness & Reconciliation Pt.2

Isaiah 6:8-10 

8 [Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.] 

9 [And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.] 

God is telling the angel to tell the people, but don’t have them understand what is being said. Even today, some people cannot even understand the simplest of scriptures such as it is a sin to eat swine or that Christ is a black man. 

Isaiah 5:13, 20-23  

13 [Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.] 

20 [Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!] 

Those that are in captivity are some of the ones that call evil good because they are comfortable. 

21 [Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!] 

22 [Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:] 

23 [Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!] 

Isaiah 6:8-10 

8 [Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.] 

9 [And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.] 

10 [Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.] 

God wants us to go through judgment as Adam did before us. Even though He will send the prophets to us, some of us are just appointed to die. 

10 [Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.] 

2 Esdras 7:11-14,56-57 

11 [Because for their sakes I made the world: and when Adam transgressed my statutes, then was decreed that now is done.] 

When Adam sinned against God, it was then decreed the judgment and what we would now have to go through. 

Decree (Merriam Webster) 1. an order usually having the force of law 2. a religious ordinance enacted by council or titular head 3. a foreordaining will: God's decree  

12 [Then were the entrances of this world made narrow, full of sorrow and travail: they are but few and evil, full of perils,: and very painful.] 

The entrance to the kingdom is now filled with trials and tribulations making it much harder to obtain. 

13 [For the entrances of the elder world were wide and sure, and brought immortal fruit.] 

We had immortality in the beginning, but after Adam’s trangression judgment was passed and now we have to fight for what we once had. 

14 [If then they that live labour not to enter these strait and vain things, they can never receive those that are laid up for them.] 

We have to now endure through the judgment in order to get what was promised to us. 

56 [For while we lived and committed iniquity, we considered not that we should begin to suffer for it after death.] 

57 [Then answered he me, and said, This is the condition of the battle, which man that is born upon the earth shall fight;] 

All that we have to go through are now the terms of life that we have to deal with. We are not in any position to argue with the Lord about what we have to do. If we want success, we must keep the commandments and believe on Christ. 

2 Esdras 7:21-22  

21 [For God hath given strait commandment to such as came, what they should do to live, even as they came, and what they should observe to avoid punishment.] 

We were given the law as a way to avoid judgment, but because it was disobeyed, judgment had to be passed. 

22 [Nevertheless they were not obedient unto him; but spake against him, and imagined vain things;] 

Matthew 12:36 [But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.] 

Ecclesiasticus 22:21-22  

21 [Though thou drewest a sword at thy friend, yet despair not: for there may be a returning to favour.] 

There is a chance to fix that friendship again. 

22 [If thou hast opened thy mouth against thy friend, fear not; for there may be a reconciliation: except for upbraiding, or pride, or disclosing of secrets, or a treacherous wound: for for these things every friend will depart.] 

If you happen to say something to your friend unintentionally offending them, there is a chance for forgiveness and the friendship will continue. 

Things that can tear a friendship apart are to upbraid, or to say something so offensive that the other does not even look at you the same way. Have a spirit of pride so that you cannot be corrected. Telling another’s personal secrets that they confided in you with. An also by wounding them such as sleeping with their spouse. 

If you repent, you can be forgiven, but the friendship may not be the same. That is the judgment. 

Ecclesiasticus 28:1-7 

1 [He that revengeth shall find vengeance from the Lord, and he will surely keep his sins in remembrance.] 

2 [Forgive thy neighbour the hurt that he hath done unto thee, so shall thy sins also be forgiven when thou prayest.] 

We must learn to forgive, but that doesn’t mean we forget what had happened. We are just not supposed to deal wrongly with our brother after they had asked for forgiveness. 

3 [One man beareth hatred against another, and doth he seek pardon from the Lord?] 

4 [He sheweth no mercy to a man, which is like himself: and doth he ask forgiveness of his own sins?] 

We all have our issues that we have to deal with and overcome and ask forgivenesss from God when we transgress. 

5 [If he that is but flesh nourish hatred, who will intreat for pardon of his sins?] 

If you keep the hatred in your spirit and continually feed it with how you think and feel, how can you ask the Lord for forgiveness. 

6 [Remember thy end, and let enmity cease; remember corruption and death, and abide in the commandments.] 

7 [Remember the commandments, and bear no malice to thy neighbour: remember the covenant of the Highest, and wink at ignorance.] 

1 Thessalonians 5:15 [See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.] 

Malice (Merriam Webster) 1. desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another 2. intent to commit an unlawful act or cause harm without legal justification or excuse 

Example: Wife committing adultery before the truth and then confessing on the day of atonement. What is the response? 

The wife can be forgiven, but you cannot deal with her anymore. Those in Christianity are doing things ignorantly, they can be forgiven, but the judgment still stands. 

Romans 2:12 [For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;] 

Whether you know the law or not, there is still a judgment. 

Deuteronomy 24:4 [Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.] 

If you find out your wife has been defiled you have to get rid of her. 

Christ came for sins that could not be forgiven for under the law of Moses. 

Romans 7:1-3 

1 [Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?] 

Paul was writing to the Israelites in Rome who were coming to repentance. 

2 [For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.] 

As them in Rome, we were also brought up as heathens not knowing the laws of God. He was not writing to the Jews because they already knew the law. 

There was much fornication going on at that time, because they did not know better and that was how the society was. It was easy for a woman or man to be in a relationship for a time and then find another. 

Marriage in Ancient Rome (Wikipedia) Divorce – Lawful divorce was relatively informal; the wife took back her dowry and left her husband's house. Roman men had always held the right to divorce their wives; a pater familias could order the divorce of any couple under his manus.[39] According to the historian Valerius Maximus, divorces were taking place by 604 BC or earlier,[40] and the early Republican law code of the Twelve Tables provided for it. Divorce was socially acceptable if carried out within social norms (mos maiorum). By the time of Cicero and Julius Caesar, divorce was relatively common and "shame-free," the subject of gossip rather than a social disgrace.[41] Valerius says that Lucius Annius was disapproved of because he divorced his wife without consulting his friends;[42] that is, he undertook the action for his purposes and without considering its effects on his social network (amicitia and clientela). The censors of 307 BC thus expelled him from the Senate for moral turpitude. However, elsewhere, it is claimed that the first divorce occurred only in 230 BC. At which time, Dionysius of Halicarnassus notes[43] that "Spurius Carvilius, a man of distinction, was the first to divorce his wife" on the grounds of infertility. This was most likely the Spurius Carvilius Maximus Ruga who was consul in 234 and 228 BCE. The evidence is confusing.[44] A man could also divorce his wife for adultery, drunkenness, or making copies of the household keys.[45] Around the 2nd century, married women gained the right to divorce their husbands.[46] Divorce by either party severed the lawful family alliance that had been formed through the marriage, and remarriage might create an entirely new set of economically or politically beneficial partnerships. Among the elite, husbands and wives might remarry several times.[45] Only one spouse's will was required for any divorce, even if the divorced party was not informed. A spouse who had entered marriage sane and healthy but became incapable of sound judgment (insane) was incompetent and could not divorce their partner; they could be divorced without their knowledge or legal notice. Divorce, like marriage, was considered a family affair. It was discussed and agreed upon in private, in an informal family gathering of the parties most affected; the husband, wife, and senior members of both families. No public record was kept of the proceedings. Official registration of divorce was not required until 449 AD.[46] 

3 [So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.] 

Even though they were not born under the law, it is still considered adultery to deal with anyone besides your spouse. 

1 Corinthians 7:1-5 

1 [Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.] 

2 [Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.] 

Even though it is not a sin or evil to be alone, having a wife or husband helps you deal with the temptation of fornication. 

3 [Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.] 

4 [The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.] 

5 [Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.] 

Even the couple agrees to abstain from sex for a time because of fasting or praying, they must also come back together so that neither one begins to burn and then look for outside sources for pleasure. This could be either with another person or pornography. 

1 Corinthians 6:18 

18 [Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.] 

The sin is against yourself, and judgment will hit you. 

1 Corinthians 7:8-12 

8 [I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.] 

9 [But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.] 

It is best not to marry so your focus can be on the Lord. If you are plagued with the temptation of fornication, it is better in that case to marry to resist sin. 

10 [And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:] 

11 [But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.] 

If there are issues in the marriage and the couple must separate, the wife is not to deal with another person or she can later come back to her husband. The reason for this is to flee fornication. 

12 [But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.] 

13 [And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.] 

The pleased to dwell is a time to win them over to Christ. 

You are not to leave your spouse as soon as you come into the truth, except for fornication, if they do not wish to apply the laws. 

If the man is not keeping the commandments and the wife is still, she still must be applying due benevolence. 

Matthew 19:9-11  

9 [And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.] 

If we put away our wives for anything other than fornication and she sleeps with another, we are guilty of our own and her fornication also. We cannot deal with our wives wrongly. 

10 [His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.] 

The disciples were conflicted because of the seriousness of taking a wife. As long as she did not commit adultery they would not be able to leave them. 

11 [But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.] 

We must understand that there will be trouble in the flesh in marriage and that is something we have to deal with and not run from. 

1 Corinthians 7:28 [But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.] 

You are born to parents and children are given to you, but who you choose as a spouse is a direct reflection of who you are. 

2 Esdras 1:25-27  

25 [Seeing ye have forsaken me, I will forsake you also; when ye desire me to be gracious unto you, I shall have no mercy upon you.] 

We are not to take this life and the Lord as a joke. God has already said what He would do if we did not obey the law and we cannot expect good from our evil. 

26 [Whensoever ye shall call upon me, I will not hear you: for ye have defiled your hands with blood, and your feet are swift to commit manslaughter.] 

27 [Ye have not as it were forsaken me, but your own selves, saith the Lord.] 

When we sin, it is time for judgment.