The Fiery Arrow Of Unforgiveness

Praise God. I want you to turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 2 with me. We're going to read from there.

This is part 3 in our series, the fiery darts of the wicked one. We've already done two messages. The last one I dealt specifically with who our enemy is.

Before that, we dealt with what these fiery darts are. But here in part 3, and sorry we've had a couple of weeks away from this, so much is happening in around this church. But I want to come back to this.

And as of this morning, we're going to begin to deal with specific fiery darts or fiery arrows of the evil one. See, I believe this church has been under attack. I believe that you have been under attack, that I have been under attack over the past several months.

A pastor, a shepherd ought to know his church, ought to know what is happening in the spiritual realm. And I believe that we as a people, not just one or two, but as a people, if you haven't spoke to me, then you're the rarity. But I get a feel for where things are at.

And when I see an unnatural, overwhelming battle in the mind and of attitudes of the heart, it concerns me. It's not one or two, it's not five, it's not ten. There is an attack of hell that is very, very real.

And here this morning, I want to continue with this part 3 of our series, The Fiery Darts of the Wicked One. Listen to what my title is here this morning. The Fiery Arrow of Unforgiveness, reading in 2 Corinthians and chapter 2. And this is Paul the Apostle writing to the church.

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears, not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. But if any have caused grief, he has not grieved me, but in part, that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many, so that contrarywise, ye ought rather to forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

Wherefore, I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also.

For if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it, in the person of Christ. Lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of Satan's devices. Let's pray together.

Father, I pray now for the word of God. This is your word inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. It is clear.

It is light. Lord God, it is a deception to walk in darkness and yet think that we see clearly. Your word is light.

Your word is truth. So God, it is a lamp for our feet and a light unto our path. Lord God, we thank you for the word of God.

Father, I pray right now that you expose every stratagem of hell. Lord God, that you would cause a stirring of faith within our hearts, that we might lift up our shield of faith, that we might extinguish the fire of the arrows of the evil one. Lord God, as we deal with unforgiveness and this issue of forgiveness in the church, in the home, in the lives of believers, with those, Lord God, that have walked in disobedience.

Father, I pray that by these written scriptures here that you'd shine the light of your truth, that the Holy Ghost would protect this church. Lord God, from every fiery dark of the wicked one. Lord God, that there be an extinguishing of fire that can harm us of the mind, of the heart, of the emotions, of the will.

Lord God, we pray today that you expose the evil one. We are not ignorant of his devices. Lord God, your word is given here, that we are not in ignorance, but we have eyes that are wide open.

We have a faith that is real, discerning what has the fingerprints of the devil. Lord God, that we'd be able to obey the word of God and walk in the light of scripture in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.

We have already dealt with in this series in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 11. Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able. See, you're not able if you don't have the armor of God on.

Don't think that you can lay aside your shield of faith, or the sword of the spirit, or your helmet, and yet be okay. Put on the whole armor of God. That's a real functional thing.

Any church in an entire body, if this church doesn't put on the armor of God, or if you don't as an individual, you are not able. You have no ability. You disobey this command at your own expense.

Paul writes, put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able, that you have the ability or the strength to stand against the wiles of the devil. Do you remember what we said the wiles are? The wiles are a carefully thought out plan and stratagem of the devil. The wiles of the devil are thought out plans carefully tailored to you or this church.

In other words, how the devil approaches, he doesn't just attack without thought. He doesn't move by emotion. He moves with intellect, with thought, with planning, with care, with cunning, with deception.

Why attack a church when their eyes are wide open? You know what you're going to do? You're going to approach people in a way that they don't see you come in. Remember the fiery arts or arrows of the evil one. They get fired at a distance.

You don't see the shooter. It's too late when it hits. In other words, if you're not ready for this, you can get hit by an arrow.

And the first thing you know is the sound of it. It plunging into your flesh or into your armor. And then the burst and forth of flames, it combusts, it explodes.

Arrows are very dangerous things. And so I believe that we have here in scripture, one of the fiery darts of the devil. I'm going to prove to you that one of his arrows that he fires, one of his wiles are carefully planned out stratagems is actually unforgiveness.

And so in verse 11 of Ephesians six, it talks about the wiles of the devil. Verse 16 says above all taken the shield of faith where with you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. In other words, if you do not take the shield of faith and notice it's faith, faith in Christ, faith in the blood, faith in the finished work of the cross, faith in the written scriptures.

If you don't take that shield of faith, if you're not active to hold it up in front of you to above all other things to take the shield of faith, you do not have the ability to extinguish or put out the fire of these arrows. The arrow will hit your shield of faith, but you don't have the ability without faith being active. This arrow will not be extinguished.

Saints of God, we need to believe what the word of God says. The wiles of the devil are fiery darts. When the Bible talks about these plans or strategies of hell, these thought out ways of attacking a real Christian.

And notice this is an attack on Christians and the church. Not talking about sinners. He's got sinners.

He already has them. He's not fighting them. They are within his kingdom, but he is attacking real Christians here.

And how does it is with wiles and a picture of these thought out plans is a fiery arrow. It is a picture of a strategy. One by one, we're going to expose them.

And I believe one of these is unforgiveness. Look with me for a moment at second Corinthians chapter two, verse 10 to 11. And notice that several times Paul is talking here to a entire church about a situation in their midst.

And he talks about forgiveness, them forgiven, him forgiven, Christ forgiving. He is talking about forgiveness within the local body of believers amongst real Christians. Then he says in verse 11, and look at this carefully, less Satan should get an advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Notice again, that word devices, it's the word it means an intellectually purpose plan. It means an exercise mind, a mind that has gone to great effort. It means the final sum of his thinking.

We are not ignorant or without knowledge. We know his thoughts. We know his goal.

We know his aim. We know his plan. So the Bible here is saying that we are not ignorant about Satan's devices.

We are not ignorant. We are not untaught. You and I are not untaught.

We have a Bible that reveals certain devices of Satan. In other words, certain intellectual plans that Satan has. And see in the context, second Corinthians chapter two, what is the device of Satan? Why is he saying here, less Satan, forgive him.

Make sure forgiveness is there in your heart, that you're walking in the biblical teaching of forgiveness. Because he says, see if you are not, see if you don't forgive someone when they need to be forgiven, lest Satan get an advantage of us. So if you do not forgive when you ought to forgive, guess what? The devil is there.

He will take advantage of it. And Paul is writing here clearly. You need to understand this in an area of unforgiveness, the devil is going to move in very quickly and swiftly.

This is a plan of Satan to have unforgiveness in the church or between two believers or persons or someone not walking in the forgiveness of God. It is a stratagem of hell. It is a plan of hell.

This is how Satan takes advantage of you. If you do not obey God's word and forgive when it commands you to forgive, Satan will take advantage of you. I promise you.

Oh, I'm a believer. He can't do that. Rubbish.

Oh, the devil can't touch me. Then why are you given an armor? Why are you given all these commands? Why are you given warnings? Why do we have examples in the Bible of people who are wounded by hell or damaged by unforgiveness? Why are we told that unforgiveness is a dangerous sin and it does harm to the mind, to the soul, to the emotions, to a local church? You see, unforgiveness, you need to walk in the light of scripture to begin to understand this. And so this morning, I'm going to deal with the fiery arrow of unforgiveness.

And let me tell you, I have, I'm just opening a can of worms. That's what I was thinking this morning. I am opening a can of worms.

I hope you know that statement. You know why? Because our Bible says different things. And if you're one of those Christians that only builds on one scripture or three scriptures, you can go to an extreme like the Corinthians did.

They always went to an extreme. In 1 Corinthians 5, they went to one extreme. They were just forgiven people who shouldn't have been forgiven.

And then here in 2 Corinthians 2, the same church a little bit later are not forgiven someone who should be forgiven. The same church, the same gathering. You see, carnality on this issue of forgiveness is going to extremes.

Either you're too hard and you won't forgive, or you're too slack and you go, oh, it doesn't matter. Sure, it's okay. And nothing has been dealt with.

Those are extremes. And you know what? Both of those extremes, the devil moves in. It is a strategy of hell.

You see, it's a strategy of hell towards sin. When sin is in people's life, we go, it doesn't matter. It's okay.

I forgive you. And it never gets dealt with. It isn't dealt with, isn't exposed, isn't rebuked.

Or else you can go to the other extreme where you're going, I don't believe. Oh, but they've done this before. And you hold it.

I don't want you to fall into any of those camps. I actually want you to come to the biblical teaching of scripture. I need to do a whole series in this.

I'm saying, oh God, help me. I'm almost pulling my hair out this morning. What hair I have left.

And I'm telling you, I'm going, Lord, we need to get into this. But I'm going to briefly try to condense, to give you the heart of this, because I believe this is a dangerous arrow that could damage you or damage this church. And I've dealt with these things before.

It's not the first time, but I want you to listen carefully. See, I grew up in a nation where the devil was moving in amongst the people. I grew up in the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The year of my birth, 1972, there were some 400 murders by terrorists and shootings and bombs in one year. 400 murders. Often the people just walking down streets killed.

I watched my entire nation as I grew up as a young boy, anger, bitterness between two communities, Protestant and Catholic. I saw even Christians get pulled into it. You know why? Although they were saved, they got stirred and passionate and hot and angry, and it moved them into a place of sin.

See, the Bible says be angry and sin not. There is an anger that you can have, which is not sinful. In fact, it's righteous to be angry at certain times, but it better come quickly and leave quickly.

It better be under control or it will damage you. See, if anger is untethered in you, I'm telling you, you've got a problem. Anger is a very dangerous thing.

Even when it's righteous, don't let it simmer. Don't let it hang around for long. See, righteous anger is kept in its place.

Now we've just heard this week how Charlie Kirk was assassinated, a man that pled for Christ, that actually was pleading not for violence, but for peace, dialogue, talk. His answer was Jesus Christ, the word of God, forgiveness, the blood of Jesus, and he got shot dead. Do you know what I believe entire nations and cultures at the minute? That's only one situation there.

Ireland is heading for civil war unless we have a revival. Britain, yesterday they had a gathering of at least 100,000, maybe as much as a million people marching, tired that the leadership, the government is destroying the country. Do you know in Ireland there's never been a racial problem? Never.

It was Protestant Catholic, but never a racial problem. But by laws and things happening from government, they have created a racial problem overnight. It was manufactured by world powers.

I want to tell you, and you know you need to be very careful as the church of God. We, the church, must not be like this world. I can remember seeing a father, an Inniskillen many years ago, it was called the Inniskillen, remember and stay bombing.

He was a Christian man there with his daughter, and they were in the middle of the bomb. Civilians were there. Just fathers like that and his wife, and as they sat under, the bomb went off, and as they lay there under the rubble, he had his daughter's hand, knowing she's dying, and he's speaking to her, crying, holding her, those last moments, and then she dies.

He come publicly on television, and he spoke and he says, I forgive my daughter's murders. Since I want to deal with some things here, because I don't want you to go to an extreme, but we're going to deal with this specifically. Number one here this morning, how Satan uses unforgiveness in the church.

Let's look at the context of what we have just read here, about Satan trying to take advantage of us in verse 11. For we are not ignorant of his devices. I don't want you to be ignorant of unforgiveness.

If you forgive someone when they shouldn't be forgiven, Satan's going to play with that. Do you realize you could forgive someone when they shouldn't be forgiven? Or you can be holding something against someone when you shouldn't. Both happen, and the devil will come in on both.

The only safe place is the light of God's word. Notice here in verse 11, it says, less Satan should get an advantage. This issue of not forgiving someone when you ought to, when Christ has, and other Christians have, but you have not.

Do you realize that gives an opportunity for Satan to take advantage of you? This word, take advantage, is the Greek word, pleiotechnio. The word advantage, it means the devil overreaching himself. It means he gets an upper hand over you.

It means he gains something that you have. The actual Greek word means he was coveting, or he was desiring this. There's something that you have, and he's longing for it.

He looks at you and he says, I want to get right into your life. I want to get into your heart, into your affairs. Here's a situation, the church over this man that was wrong.

You know, there's a situation here. A man had sinned against God, sinned against Paul, sinned against the church. He had fallen into sin.

It doesn't give all the details here. Some put it back to 1 Corinthians 5 that it was the man there, the man who was sleeping with his father's wife. Lots of people say this was the same man.

I don't know. I'm not sure of that. But this man, he'd sinned against Paul.

He'd hurt Paul. He sinned against people in the church. He was a means of division in the church.

And look, this situation, how people responded to this situation was given room for the devil to come in. Paul's warning. Although people haven't forgiven, the devil hasn't moved in yet.

Paul is warning, says, do you realize this scenario? The devil can move in and take this. To take advantage means the devil's going to take this situation. All unforgiveness doesn't mean it's an arrow.

But you know what? The devil is going to fire an arrow because unforgiveness is unrepentant sin. The devil will fire an arrow right into that situation. In other words, fire will begin to kindle out of something very small, an attitude of the heart, a way of thinking, a personal relationship.

And so this word advantage, it means the devil is desiring to take that something, that area within the church. The devil wants to lay his hand on it. He is coveting it.

And you know what? He overreaches himself. He gets the upper hand. This Greek word also means to defraud you, to steal from you, or to rob you.

It means to cheat someone out of something that they have. And so look at this. Satan could take this situation and use it for his own goals, his own plans, his own purposes.

While people are saying, oh, I'm obeying God's word. I will not forgive them. At least not yet.

You need to be careful. The devil can come in on this. Someone's there saying, I've got an issue.

You better make sure it's biblical and you're handling it right. Because if it's not biblical and you've got something against someone, you're actually wrong. And you know what? There's a way to act towards that.

If you haven't said, I'm justified, what are you doing about it? Oh, I'm going to sit on it and stew. That's very dangerous. You better not let that thing stew, or it's going to eat you up.

It'll burn within you. And you know what the Bible says? The devil will take advantage. You know what he's going to do? He's going to defraud you.

You think you're being a biblical Christian. The devil's going to steal from you. He's going to rob your peace.

He's going to rob your joy. He's going to rob your victory. You know, through something in your heart, unforgiveness, you could get better.

You could get jealous. You could get angry. You could take vengeance into your own hands.

You go, I want to tell them. I want to put them straight. You wake up at two o'clock in the morning.

This is rolling in your mind. Of course, none of you have ever had that. Man, I want to say some things to him.

Man, I'm going to assert them out. Anger, bitterness, jealousy. Where's it going? Have you dealt with it biblically? And so here's Paul warning a church believers right into them.

And he's trying to tell them the devil will come in and steal a situation. He'll begin to rob you. He'll begin to take advantage of you because of this.

That's why we need to walk in the light of God's word. Do you know what this defraud means? To rob someone or to be covetous. Look what's in the devil's heart.

See, it's not only men or this. The devil is this. He looks at this church.

He's covetous. Do you realize that? The devil wants to replace the love with bitterness. There, be careful.

The devil's very covetous of this church. I hate the fellowship. I want to rule the fellowship, the friendships, the decisions, the ways of acting.

I want you to walk in darkness. And then I take advantage. It says in Exodus 20 verse 17, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house or covet thy neighbor's wife or his manservant, maidservant, his ox, his car.

You won't covet my car anyway. Nor his ass. I think my car is more of an ass.

Nor anything that is thy neighbor's. That's what covetousness is. It's that you look over there and go, I want that.

I desire that. You don't have it, but you're coveting. That's what the devil does to you.

Do you realize the devil does that in the church? He is looking at the church, the blessing, the unity, the glory, the joy, the peace, the righteousness. And he's coveting. I want that.

The place Christ has, the devil is seeking to come in on this. Let me just take you into these few scriptures so you understand the situation here. Look with me at verse five.

But if any have caused grief, he has not grieved me. He's speaking about this man and Paul is saying, look, church, wake up. You're all stirred up over this man who sinned, caused problems.

That makes me believe this could be a different man. Not the man of 1 Corinthians 5, but it could be. They're saying this was sin against Paul.

It has wounded Paul. It has harmed Paul's ministry and testimony. It has caused division in the church.

And Paul says, but if any have caused grief, grief means distress. He says he has not grieved me, but in part. Don't think that I'm drowning in grief over the situation.

It hasn't harmed me. Well, it has in part. It has.

It has grieved me, but only in part. You know why? Because I don't let things bother me. Because I deal with things biblically.

I pray about them. I've been praying for him. Do you want to protect your heart? Pray for the person, bless the person, or that's going to get into your heart.

See, people in this church, it was an overwhelming burden. They couldn't let it go. They couldn't forget about it.

It was affecting their entire life. There's something wrong with you. See, Paul was saying, that's the thing that harmed me.

It grieved me, but only in part. I only allow it in part. And listen, that I may not overcharge you all.

So he's saying, I want you to hold this lightly. I don't want you to be burdened down with this. I don't want this church distressed over this.

Just deal with it biblically. Verse 16, sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. I want you to notice this man was punished in the church.

Sin gets punished in the church. If you see situations where people, oh, we just forgive you. What was the punishment? What was the consequence? I'm not talking about small sins.

I'm talking about grievous, serious sins. If someone tried to split this church, that's very grievous. If someone was a gossip, that's very grievous.

If someone is a fornicator and a liar, that is very grievous. Do we just forgive them and say, sure, it's okay, brother. We just love you.

Absolutely not. Paul is saying here sufficient. In other words, it was right that this man or this person was punished.

Do you know the word punishment there? Very strange. It means citizen. It's the Greek word for citizen.

When I looked this up, I thought, hold on, our English has punishment, but it has citizen in the Greek. What is this saying? But the root word of citizen is you pay your taxes or you live by regulations or you come under an authority. So what they're saying about this man, he's been punished by the entire church.

This man has been punished. He has been taxed. He's been under church discipline.

He has been living under something. And it says, which was inflicted of many. Remember what it says in one Corinthians chapter five, if a man's a fornicator and he won't repent, won't deal with the sin, separate from them.

Don't even eat with them. Don't even drink with them. Don't even fellowship with them.

You're actually commanded that in scripture. When there are a vile or pouring out accusation, don't even fellowship with them. Paul time and time in the scripture deals with people who can be Christians, who are Christians, but they're walking disorderly, not in the right way.

And he tells you and teaches. There's number of scriptures and I can only touch on it here. We've done entire teachings on this.

See if you follow your own idea. Oh, well, you just got to love them, forgive them. No, you don't.

Paul is talking here about this situation where they have punished sin. They are strong in church discipline. They believe in chastisement, dealing with things in the church.

The Corinthians here have done this. Look at verse seven. So that country wise, she ought rather to forgive him and comfort him less.

Perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with over much sorrow. Now look what's happening here. Paul calls them to forgiveness.

You have punished them. You have jointly as a church, but do you know what? Now it's time to forgive. See, we're not slack on things, but maybe we go the other way.

Maybe you're one of those people. It isn't just the only lovely, gracious, forgiven kind. Maybe you're the other who knows the word of God or thinks you know the word of God.

You're dogmatic. You're strong. You're saying, I wouldn't trust them if they dropped down dead.

I wouldn't believe it. I've seen that video of a squirrel or whatever creature and it mimicked its own death and knocked over the broom and then pretended the broom fell on itself. It's hilarious.

It's a liar. It's mimicking. It's putting up a charade.

And you know what? We need to be very careful in the church of Jesus Christ. He says it's time to forgive and to comfort him. Less such a one should be swallowed up with over much sorrow.

Look what he's saying about this man. He's being punished. He's been under church discipline.

You've unitedly done this. Now look at him. He is in sorrow.

He is in deep sorrow. He has been under punishment, suffering the consequence of his sin. Now Paul balances this and says, you need to forgive him.

You actually need to forgive this man. What does the word forgive mean here in this scripture and other scriptures? There's two main Greek words in the New Testament for forgive. The word that Paul uses here is the Greek word charisoma.

It means to grant as a favor. It means to act graciously. This is what forgiveness is.

If you don't do this, you haven't forgiven. It means to be kind, to pardon, to rescue, to deliver, or to go free. This Greek word for forgiveness actually describes the act of kindness, benevolence, forgiveness.

You should never deserve this. See, forgiveness isn't deserved. Oh, but I've done this.

You ought to forgive me. Forgiveness is never deserved. It is never earned.

It is commanded. You may be in sorrow. You may be under church discipline, but you know what? Forgiveness is a thing of grace.

You are given it. If you're going to forgive someone, if you're their sin, they've got to earn it. Okay, what are you looking for? Have you studied the scripture? Do you know how to gauge this? Do you know when? See, if you get to the point you only forgive when you think the person deserves it, you could really be walking in darkness and in the shadow land where the devil moves in.

You see, forgiveness isn't, okay, now you deserve it. Forgiveness is actually something very free from the presence of God. Do you know the word charisoma, forgiveness comes from charis, our Greek word for gift or grace.

So the word for grace, being gracious, showing grace. What is grace? Unmerited favor. You're doing something the person doesn't deserve.

They haven't earned. It's grace. It's a gift.

Remember, you don't pay for a gift, do you? Oh, someone comes with a, and it gets me a Christmas gift. Let me pay for it. Don't be stupid.

You don't pay for a gift. How can you pay for a gift from God or from another Christian? It's your Christianity gracious. Are you a giver? Are you kind? Are you benevolent? Are you a forgiver? Do you see, if you're not, the devil can take advantage of this.

If you haven't learned how to give, if you don't know what the Bible says about forgiveness, you could very easily have the devil take advantage of you. And that's why you can't casually not forgive someone or walk in this. Well, they hurt me.

I won't forgive them. You're in dangerous, dangerous ground. You better release that.

You may be hit by an arrow. And when a man gets hit by an arrow, you know it. I've met people over the years, they've been hit by arrows.

Unforgiveness is destroying their mind, their emotions, their sleep, their relationships, their marriage, their workplace, their ministry, and the church. Unforgiveness is a very, very real thing. And that's why I want to warn you, we are not ignorant of Satan's devices.

The other Greek word in the New Testament is apimi, it means to send forth or to release, to send away, to let go of, to put away, to set aside. So you've got these two things for forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gracious act given what is not deserved.

Being kind to someone, they haven't earned it. They never will in some of your eyes, but the other is releasing them. You let them go.

You let a prisoner go. Sometimes we forgive someone, but you'll say, I'll never forget it. I'll forgive you, but I'll never trust you again.

I'll forgive you, but I'm always going to be conscious of this, every interaction. Do you know how that affects a relationship? And so Paul is dealing here with the church, forgive him. And not only forgive him, not only be gracious, be kind to him.

Look at him. The guy is sorrowing. And you know what Paul's worried about now, that this man's going to be swallowed up with over much sorrow.

In other words, he's going to drown in a sorrow. He's grieved for a sin. He feels condemned.

He feels guilty. Now he's being treated like a prisoner, like a criminal. All of you would be criminals in here in the sight of God.

All of you are condemned in the sight of God. Since we need to be very careful how we deal with one another. It's a reflection of our relationship with God.

He says, forgive them, be gracious to them, but also comfort them. It's the word paracleo. It means to come alongside them.

It means to stand beside them, to speak to them, call out to them, to exhort them, to urge them on in their walk with God. So you don't only forgive them, you stand with them and say, go on, walk with God. You want to encourage them.

You want to rescue them. You know why? The devil is in this situation. Do you see the situation could destroy this man? He's feeling guilty, condemned, isolated, alone, apart from everyone else.

Do you realize he has gone through church discipline? He is sorry for his sin. He's still in the church. He wants to recover, but you, the church, won't let him off the hook.

You could destroy him. He'll never get back to God. This is going to swallow him up.

And you know what the devil come in and tell him, you can never be forgiven. You'll never be good enough. People will never love you.

He needs brothers to come alongside him and say, we love you. We're praying for you. Keep walking with God.

Stand up again. Get up, walk with God. Verse 8, wherefore I beseech you that you would confirm your love towards him.

Confirm it, make it real. See, forgive him, comfort him, love him. The word love there is agape.

I want you to confirm. I want it to be seen. I want it to be obvious that you love him.

Oh, I love him in my heart. Well, it's got to be an action. Agape love, that word agape is a supernatural love, not a human love, not a fraternal love.

You know, some of us would go, well, I just can't love like that. Well, get on your knees and cry to God. But he's the one that done wrong.

Yeah, but you need to love them. Oh, but he doesn't deserve love. Yes, he does.

And you're going to see that this morning. None of you deserve love. None of you deserve grace.

None of you deserve forgiveness. We are on a level playing field. We need to begin to realize you need to confirm your love towards him.

Oh, but he doesn't deserve love. Yes, he does. He is a sinner who has repented, who has suffered the consequence of his sin.

We haven't hidden this. We haven't ignored it. Verse nine, for to this end also did I write that I might know the proof of you.

So he's looking them to confirm their love. Come on, love, love one another, love those that have done wrong and failed. Love the undeserving.

Come on, do it. Prove. I want you to prove whether you'd be obedient in all things.

So like Paul speaking to those who haven't committed his sin, but now the danger is on forgiveness, sternness, strongness, coldness. Are you standing against someone accusing them? But your heart is cold, not filled with love, not motivated by emotion. You're cold, you're hard, you're untrusting.

Oh, I know what they meant. I know what's going on. You know what? You need to be caught up with passionate.

I got be love. I got be love, put Christ on the cross. That's where I put him.

And if you show love, if you prove you're obedient in all things, do you see how you stop the devil taking advantage of this? Do you see how it's not enough to say we've disciplined, we've made a strong stand, we've separated, we're aware of sin, we deal with sin in our midst. Do you love? Do you comfort? Do you forgive? That's the other side of this. And you're what the devil could take advantage of either.

Either if we're a church that don't deal with sin. Sure, brother, don't worry about it. No, you need to speak about it.

Oh, that's not my personality. I don't like to do that. Sure, we'll just, we'll just let it go.

You can't do that. We as a church, oh, we can have sinners who just sit there. It doesn't matter if you're not living a right Christian life.

We just say, God loves you. You can't do that. There's got to be a careful balance or the stratagems of hell, the devices of hell, the devil's got plans here.

He'll move into that and he wants to hijack it. He wants to steal it. He wants to move in.

And so he says in verse 10, to whom you forgive anything, I forgive also. Well, Paul's already forgiven him. He's telling them to forgive, but notice this forgiveness is not just an emotion.

Paul's already forgiven him. Paul sees the sorrow. So what's he saying? If you forgive him, then I forgive him.

He's talking about something more than forgiven from the heart. Forgiveness here that he's talking about isn't just an emotion of the heart or a feeling or something in his heart saying, I forgive them. Actually, it's something more.

Paul's saying, if you forgive him, what's he saying? You need to restore him to fellowship. You need to lift the church discipline. That's forgiveness.

You release them back into the body of Christ. So to whom you forgive anything, I forgive also. For if I forgave anything to whom I forgave it, for your sakes, I forgave it in the person of Christ.

Why am I forgiven? Because of Jesus Christ. Saints, I forgive people not because they deserve it or they're worthy or even I believe all their motives are sincerely perfect. Are yours? Are yours always all the time? How do you want God to scrutinize you? Because the Bible is very clear.

How you judge others, God judge you to the same measure in the same way. Judgment is a boomerang. Ever seen an Australian boomerang? It's the only stick that comes back.

I need one for my dog because it doesn't always bring it back. A boomerang is what you throw and if you know how to do it, it'll come right back to where it is. You know what judgment's like that? You throw it at others, it's going to come back and hit you on the back of the head.

How you judge is coming back. You better be careful because you will reap what you sow. What you give to others, you will bring upon yourself.

How you live, it will come. God will judge you how you judge others. That's why you need to be very careful.

That's my first point. This is the situation in this church and Paul warns him in verse 11. Why am I saying all this about forgiveness and love and releasing them and proving your love and comforting them? Why am I saying that? Lest Satan should get an advantage.

Lest Satan, through his covetous desire, stands or steps right into this situation and why is it we're being careful? Why is it we forgive biblically? Why is it we want no unforgiveness in our heart? For we are not ignorant of his devices. My second point, unconditional forgiveness from the heart. Now listen, this is very important.

Unconditional forgiveness from the heart. See, I'm joining a few teachings together here like this and I'm dealing with them. If you only know one thing and deal with one thing and only one type of unforgiveness, you're going to get this really messed up.

You'll make a pig's ear of it. Unconditional forgiveness from the heart. Luke chapter 23 verse 34 and this is Jesus hanging on the cross.

Do you know why he's gone there? Because of your sin. Your sin nailed him to the tree. Your sin brought the wrath of God on him.

Your sin. He could have called for 10,000 angels. He didn't.

Do you know why? Because your sin, you would be condemned as a sinner and sent to hell for all eternity. We have Jesus hanging on the cross and one of the seven things he says on the cross, verse 34, then said, Jesus, father, forgive them for they know not what they do. They falsely accused him.

They've lied about him. They stripped him. They whipped him.

They left his back as a plowed field. Some of them plucked his beard. Can you imagine that having your beard literally plucked out? A crown of thorns was pressed into his skull.

Someone nailed him to that cross. His hands, his wrists, his ankles. Someone nailed him there.

Here he is hanging naked, standing between heaven and earth. Men walking past him. Huh.

If you be the Messiah, come down. If you're a prophet of God, laugh and smirking. Are you shocked at people mocking, laughing at Charlie Kirk being assassinated? They left media.

I'm telling you, you've got people really perverted and twisted and they're flooding in on every hand. They're being taught and educated. It's nothing new.

Can you imagine walking past the cross and a man hanging there like this, even if you only thought he was a man and his mother in front of him crying with a sword going through her heart and you begin mocking and laughing? Can you imagine being so unfeeling? There's lots of people like that in our world. And then notice what it says. Father, forgive them for they knew not what they do.

And they parted his raiment and cast lots. As he's suffering, they're casting lots. Oh, let's not rip the garment.

Let's throw dice for it. Let's bet. I want his garment.

He's hanging, bleeding, suffering and agony. The wrath of God coming down on him. And men are jovially playing for his garment.

I want his garment. This is all around you in this world. Hell is very real.

Satan is very real. And men are making light of sin. You need to be very careful that you have a heart of unforgiveness.

You know why? Because when they crucify you and nail you to a tree, you better forgive. See, Jesus said, Father, forgive them. This was the heart of Christ.

Are these men repentant? Are the ones casting lots, are they sorry for this? Are people wringing their hands in? Oh, Lord, forgive us. We're so sorry. What about Judas? He's gone and committed suicide.

He was sorry that it had all gone wrong. He wasn't sorry for sin. He wasn't sorry for sin.

And the devil came in on Judas, didn't he? Betrayal, where does that come from? The devil put it in his heart. You need to be careful of what the devil puts in your heart. Do you know the devil can put unforgiveness in your heart, betrayal in your heart, offense in your heart? And here we have Christ.

He's saying, Father, forgive them. Have they repented? Have they acknowledged their sin? Do they realize what they've done? And yet he's praying, forgive them. Do you know what this is? This is unconditional.

This is unconditional forgiveness. All forgiveness in the Bible isn't unconditional, but this is. This is the source of all forgiveness.

This is the grace of forgiveness. What is unconditional forgiveness? It is one-sided. You're not there saying, if they do, then I will.

This is a thing in the heart. We knew that people weren't forgiven. Father, forgive them.

Were those men forgiven? Were they forgiven? Were the ones who nailed them to a tree, were they forgiven because they prayed, Father, forgive them? I met sinners and they said, oh, I'll be okay. I've labored with them. And finally they said, oh, but if all that you're saying is true, I'll be fine because God forgives everyone.

Does God forgive everyone? Do you realize that first and foremost, forgiveness is a thing of the heart? If you always say, no, I'm going to wait until they repent to forgive them from the heart. There's a kind of forgiveness that's unconditional. It's got nothing to do with anyone else.

You give it immediately. I forgive them. Do you know in the gospel, everything was done at Calvary to forgive you all the provision, all the benefits.

It's in the heart of Christ. It's in heart, the heart of God, the father. It is in the gospel.

Go preach repentance and forgiveness. You don't get it unless you receive it. But listen, forgiveness is one sided.

It is given even if the other does not seek it, repent or acknowledge their sin. Christ had a heart utterly of forgiveness. And this is the first thing.

It's all through scripture actually, that we have a heart of forgiveness. Someone wrongs you. You don't wait to take them to account.

You have already forgiven. You forgive instantly. Way before, times without number, I've had people come to me and said, will you forgive me? I said, I don't know way back then.

Now they're realizing they've hardened me. Now they're acknowledging it. Now they're sorry.

Now they're repenting. I said, but I forgave you then. I was free.

Saints, I am free this morning. I, I mean, I'm, I heart is free. I've had so many bad things done.

My back is covered in scars, but hey, I'm happy. I'm rejoicing. I love them.

I really love them. They've stolen from me, lied on me, tried to destroy my reputation. They have closed doors on me.

They have done much damage to the work of God. I've forgiven them. Saints, I really forgive them from my heart.

Listen, I'm going to go on to something else next, but you need to understand this. Christ on the cross had forgiven them. He was praying to God the father.

It was unconditional forgiveness. It doesn't matter that they haven't repented. It doesn't matter that they're not seeking it.

It is his heart before God. They haven't acknowledged their sin all through scripture. You as a Christian, listen to what it says.

Colossians 3 13 for bearing one another and forgiven one another. If any man have a quarrel, has a fault, has a cause, has an issue, that's what it means. If any of you have a quarrel, an issue, I've got this against any, forgive them.

It also says in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 31 and 32, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be kind one toward another, tender hearted, forgiven one another, even as God for Christ's sake have forgiven you. God for Christ's sake have forgiven you. Why do you get forgiveness? Because of Jesus on the cross.

Do you realize your forgiveness is because God the father answers Christ's prayer on the cross. He's hanging there. Father, forgive them.

Oh, did you think that was for the Roman soldiers or those that were gambling? Should never gamble. Christians don't gamble. They don't do the lotto.

That's why they're gambling for his garments. Do you know what? They don't need to forgive. There is Christ and you know what his heart is? I release them.

I forgive them. In his heart, I'm free. I'm free.

There's no one who could see sin like Christ. He rebukes sin. He dealt with sin.

He never excused sin, not once, but here he is on the cross, dying, suffering, bleeding, atoning. What we heard at the Lord's table, the propitiation. Do you know why you forgive anyone? Because Christ forgave you.

Do you know what forgiveness in your life means? Have you earned it? Do you deserve it? Even when you repent, do you deserve forgiveness? Do you think, oh, I've repented all my sins. I so deserve it. You don't deserve it.

You know what? You begin to see Christ has made provision. He died. He suffered.

He took my place. Then I could be forgiven. Forgiveness is held out.

Remember that like the prodigal son, the parable Jesus told, and as soon as he sees the sun coming down, what does the father do? He hasn't heard a word, but he sees him afar off. The prodigal son who's been out there squandered all his money in the world with harlots and drunkenness and who knows what. What does the father do? Well, let him come to me.

Let him come to me and beg a bit. Do you know what? He sees him. He hasn't heard a word.

He didn't get an email, didn't get a text, and he runs to him. If you even begin to turn, as soon as your heart begins to turn and repent, oh God, you know what? The father runs to embrace that. You can't even imagine how unconditional the love of God is and the forgiveness of God, the mercy of God, the kindness of God.

He forgives you. Look at another man. Remember Stephen, the deacon of Acts chapter 6? And then in chapter 7, he begins to preach and do signs and wonders and miracles, and he's, oh, as Christians, we're not going to go in amongst those that don't believe and debate them, are we? Stephen is there down in the local synagogues.

He's right in the midst of men who are contentious, angry, bitter, jealous, unbelieving, who believe error concerning the scripture. What does he do? He's preaching to them. He's reasoning with them.

He's laboring over the word of God. He's dealing with their sin face-to-face. He's very blunt.

Saints, he is very, very blunt. Some people think Charlie Kirk shouldn't have been on the universities going head-to-head with trans and homosexuals and atheists and abortionists. Oh, leave them alone.

Christians don't do that. Stephen went into a pit of serpents, religious men on fire burning. Oh, just leave them alone.

Stephen was a man filled with the Holy Spirit of God. And you know what? The Bible says he stood, and as he preached, it was okay while he gave a history lesson. It's okay when he dealt with the ancient history of Israel, but as soon as he turned it to their hearts and he began to deal with them and deal with their sin and show them their condition, oh, you shouldn't do that.

Yes, you should. It's biblical. Listen, it says in Acts 754, when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on them with their teeth.

That's anger. But he being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God and said, behold, I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord and cast him out of the city and they stoned him and witnesses laid their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul, later to be Paul.

And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, whoever kneeled down for stoning, and cried with a loud voice, still had his strength. Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.

What would you be crying out? Avenge me. Kill them. Send fire.

You know what? As the stones beat down upon him, his body already breaking and bleeding, hurting. Maybe he's already dazed. I don't know.

But he's got his full faculties. He realizes what's about to happen. Very shortly, he's going to be gone.

He says, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. Do you realize that they have not repented? They were not sorry. They're angry.

They're murderers. They're murderers. They're killing him.

You know what he's saying? Don't lay this to their charge. Do you see the heart of a real Christian filled with the Spirit? Lord, I release them. I don't have anything personal.

I'm not angry. I'm not, they're going, we need to sort this out. I am free.

He has a heart of forgiveness. This is what I call internal, personal forgiveness. And this isn't the end of the story since.

But this is a vital part of it. This is an attitude of heart, an attitude of forgiveness that every Christian has. If you cannot say that you're like Stephen, where you're actually in your hearts, then do not lay this sin to their charge.

No, Lord, they deserve it. Let wrath come on them. What about Jesus? Father, forgive them.

Stephen and Jesus are praying for murderous men to be forgiven. All people to be forgiven in their hearts. We have nothing in our hearts.

You see, you may need to pray through for forgiveness. It may be agony. You may need to wrestle.

You may need to pray. You may need to spend a week or keep going back to it every week. Someone's hurt you.

You need to forgive them. You need to get it in your heart. I'm not talking about going to them yet.

We're going to come to that. But I'm telling you an attitude of heart. It doesn't matter what they do.

It doesn't matter if they're repentant. It doesn't matter if they put it right. Doesn't matter if they admit they're wrong.

What is your heart on this? If you have no love, no grace, no forgiveness, the devil can take advantage. And you know what? That's why a lot of Christians get better. They're right.

I'm right. Yeah. And you're better.

There's no love. There's no mercy with you. Where's your kindness? Where's the undeserved grace of God in your life? You're there with your Bible, killing people, the law of God.

Oh, you're right. Okay. It's just, you're totally rotten.

You stink. You're putrid. There's no love.

I would not like to be the victim of your devices. You know what? Satan moves in on those attitudes. You cannot forgive from your heart.

The devil will move in on that. I promise you. Just because he has it doesn't mean the devil has moved in.

No, but he can. He may take advantage. He may rob you of your peace and your joy and your blessing.

We have forgiven from the heart. This affects us, our attitude, emotions, manners, our responses, our words. But the other has not received the benefits or blessings until repentance is received.

Until they admit they're wrong. Until they repent. Until they come broken.

They don't receive any of the benefits of this. They're not off the hook. God will still send them to hell.

Or if they're a Christian who are in the wrong. You know what? God is going to deal with them. God is going to chastise them.

You forgive from the heart, but it doesn't mean they're free. Do you realize you've got to walk? Those murders will go to hell unless that shooter repents this week. And he could.

I wonder what his wife's going to do. What's Charlie's wife going to do? Do you know that could destroy her? Do you realize attitude towards that man that took her husband and took her two fathers, her two kids father? Do you realize that could destroy her? But she's right. Doesn't she have a right to be angry and call for vengeance? I wonder what she's going to do.

I wonder what America's going to do. It'd be wrong for them to ignore his sin. I believe in the death penalty.

It's biblical. It's biblical. A life for a life.

It's a law of God. Not the love of Christ. He can be forgiven.

Do you know that man could be forgiven? But it's going to take someone to reach him. His family must be broken. That mother, a father turned him in.

Policeman. What did he go through? He must be broken. How are you going to reach a family like that with the love of Christ? Someone needs to walk in this.

Thirdly, personal forgiveness against other believers. It says in Luke 17 verse 1. Then said he unto the disciples, it is impossible but that offenses will come. Jesus speaking.

But woe unto them through whom they come. In the church from other Christians. It's impossible.

Guess what church? You might be sitting here saying, they hurt me. I've been hurt. Welcome to church.

Oh, but you should be able to go to church and never get hurt. Who told you that? Jesus made it clear to his disciples. It's impossible.

Utterly impossible. In other words, if you are sitting here and go, oh, I've never been hurt. I've never been offended.

Just hang around. Oh, but this is a nice church and there's a nice shepherd and there's a nice safe place. Just hang around.

We're going to find out what sort of love you have an attitude towards God. Jesus said it is impossible, but that offenses will come. But woe unto them through whom they come.

They will come. You cannot avoid them. There is no promise in the Bible to deliver you from the offenses of others.

What is an offense? It is a scandal. It is a snare. It is a trap.

He says, woe unto those kind of people in the church. Says, you know what? If they, if they do anything to one of these little ones, one of these children, the cause of hurting them, woe unto them. Woe unto them.

I can't even tell you how bad that is. But he says in verse three, take heed to yourselves. So notice he said, offenses are going to come.

People are going to say things, do things. So you'd think, well, it's okay. We're having things done on us.

I can be sorry for myself. I can be angry. I can be resentful.

I can pray for judgment. What's Jesus say? Take heed to yourselves. If I brother trespass against the notice, he's talking about another Christian, not a center, not the world, not your own safe family.

Some of you can have problems with unsafe families. They're not saved. They don't know Christ.

They say things and you're all hurt. There's centers. There's centers.

Do you hear me? They're on their way to hell for all eternity. Unless they made Christ, they're going to be lost. And you're angry.

You're actually separating from them. You've got no right to do that. No right to do that.

You're cold towards them. You're brash. How dare you? Christ didn't do that to you when you're a sinner.

He loved you. He pursued after you. He was warm in his love.

Saints, if they don't get saved, they're going to hell. That should be enough. You should be alarmed.

Have they hurt you? Well, then love them. But we're dealing with a Christian. If a brother trespass against you, sin against you.

Oh, they said something. Did they sin? Listen to me. If your brother trespass, disobey the word of God.

If they sin against you, don't come to a brother and say, well, you've hurt me. Well, how? Well, you just have. It has to be an issue of sin.

If your brother sins, an actual biblical, clear trespass against you. What does it say? Rebuke him. No, it doesn't say forgive.

It says rebuke him and if he repent, forgive him. See, this isn't the same as the other. This isn't hard forgiveness given to everyone in every situation.

I walk in forgiveness. I live this out. Saints, I am not better.

I am not hurt. I'm not caught in a trap. See, if you get into unforgiveness, you're caught.

You're trapped here this morning. You need set free. You need delivered.

You're hurting and you cannot let go. You need to let go of that. But this is something else.

This isn't hard forgiveness. This is now dealing with an issue with another fellow Christian. If they trespass against you, if they sin, what do you do? Forgive them? No, you're not allowed to.

Oh, well, Jimmy just keeps hurting me. Or Sally Ann, she just keeps lying, keeps saying rude things to me all the time. Brother Keith doesn't hear it, but this person makes a target or sends a text.

But I just love them. I just forgive them. Then you're wrong.

You are biblically wrong. Not walking the light and the devil's using that because you're going to get hurt and hurt and hurt and hurt and hurt and the devil's laughing at you. Oh, but I just love.

I walk in forgiveness. Hold on. We're dealing with something else here.

I'm not talking about forgiveness from the heart. No, you're dealing with someone who has sinned against you and done something. You don't have the right to say, oh, I just forgive you.

It says rebuke them if they have sinned, actually committed a sin. What do you do? You rebuke them. The word rebuke here means to point out the wrong clearly, precisely, obviously with evidence.

And it says if they repent. So notice two things. You rebuke them if they repent.

So you don't give them this kind of forgiveness if they don't repent. So you've got to go to them. If they do not repent, what is repentance? To exercise the mind in order to think differently, to change the mind, to turn around, to go in the opposite direction, to be broken, to be sorry.

If you go to them and they have obviously sinned against you and they do not repent, you don't forgive them. You don't forgive them. Not this kind of forgiveness.

Your heart is that of Christ and Stephen and free. But you don't forgive them. You don't release it.

You don't let go of it. You don't lay aside the issue. Your heart's free.

It's not bitterness in your heart. It's not destroying you. It's not keeping you awake at night.

But you don't let go of it. You don't release it. You don't say, oh, well, let's forget about it.

No, it's a live issue. It will always be a live issue. If it's a real biblical issue, it's going to remain there until they repent.

This is what you do in church, in the local body. Remember Matthew 18? Go to your brother. He doesn't hear you.

What do you do? Oh, well, I finished with him. I knew he wouldn't repent. Let go of him.

You take two or three others with you. If he doesn't listen to you, what do you do next? Bring it to the church. So you keep going.

You follow protocol. Do you have such a heart? Some of you don't even try to follow protocol with someone who's done that. Don't even try.

Finish with them. No forgiveness in the heart. This is different than forgiving someone in the heart.

Maybe you never forgive them so you don't even care about them. You don't pursue after them. Jesus is teaching here.

He's the same one who prayed, Father, forgive them. Now he's saying, if they don't repent, then do not forgive them. You only forgive them if they repent, if they change.

Verse four, and if he trespass against these seven times in a day and seven times in a day, turn again to the saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him. If he repents, if he says, I am so sorry, you're right. I did hurt you.

I sinned against you. Will you forgive me? Yes. Oh, now it's got to seven.

Who's asking the question? Peter. Peter actually asked him a question and Jesus is answering it. What are you going to do if he does it seven times in a day? I don't believe you.

I don't trust you. Jesus says, forgive him. And the apostle said unto him, increase our faith.

So my brother, my sister in this church who sins against me, they actually say or do things, right? That's it. You've used up unforgiveness or my forgiveness. You've used up all the grace, all the love, all the compassion, all the comfort.

That's it. Zip over. You've proved you're not worthy of my forgiveness.

Jesus said, you don't have the right to do that. You remember what he said in chapter Matthew and other scriptures? Peter, the smart one, what does he say in Matthew 1821? Then Peter said unto him, Lord, how off shall I, off shall my brother sin against me? Actually sin. Oh, they irritate me.

So what? Get on with it. Brother Keith, you just really annoy me how you preach. I want to come tell you, you don't have a biblical right.

Sorry. Is it sin? Is it a biblical sin? Sorry. Get on with it.

Get over it. Either move to another church or pray your way through. You have a problem.

But if I haven't sinned against you, you have a problem and the devil will move in on that and he'll take advantage of that. I promise you. Peter said, how often will I forgive him? Till seven times.

Peter is feeling really super spiritual on this day. He is in pristine Christian condition. Will I forgive him seven times? I mean, master, I'm your greatest star, your crown disciple, the apostle of the apostles.

I can forgive someone seven times. What does she say? Until seven times? No, until 70 times, seven, 490 times a day. Jesus isn't being ridiculous.

He then tells the parable to Peter to get the message across. He tells a parable of in the kingdom of heaven is like an under a certain king which had taken account of his servants. And he says, one of them come which owed 10,000 talents.

I won't go into all of this, but it's basically 16 years worth of a hard working soldier. I've worked this out at about 600 million euro. 600 million euro.

Jesus tells a story like this. So there's this man in a kingdom and he comes to the king and he falls down. He said, please have compassion.

Please forgive me. He worshipped. Have patience with me.

And his heart was moved compassion and he loosed him and forgave him the debt. 600 million euro. Forget it.

I forgive you. I forgive you. Who's the king? Jesus God.

That was your debt of sin that you owe to Jesus. You offended a holy God. 600 million euro canceled by the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

But then that man leaves him. He's a picture of a Christian in the church and his Christian life. Oh no.

No, he's saved. No, he's forgiven. His debt has gone.

He won't go to hell, but he's in the church. And it says there was one fellow servant. Notice it wasn't his servant.

It was a fellow servant working with them, which owed him a hundred pence, like a hundred euros. And he goes to him and says, give me the money that thou owest me. And his fellow servant fell down at his feet and besought him.

Have patience with me. I will pay thee. And he would not.

He would not. And he went and cast him into prison until he should pay it all. You know the story.

See, when that king heard it, he was mad. I cancel your debt and you won't cancel that little debt. You get offended over a little thing.

I've forgiven you. I've washed you. You asked me to forgive you and I've forgiven you.

You won't suffer in hell, but there you are over a pernickety silly thing. They said this, they've done this. What about this? Why not forgive it? Why not be gracious from your heart? Is your heart free this morning? And if you have to go deal with them, be careful, be gracious, be kind, guard your heart, go to them.

Not seeking to destroy them and expose them. Try to win them over. Try to show them because maybe you've got some facts wrong.

Maybe you've misunderstood this situation. But let me finish here. Lastly, there's church discipline.

Remember 1 Corinthians 5, the very same church in 2 Corinthians 2, they're being too hard. We will not let this guy off the hook. He's being punished under church discipline.

But in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, this man is in sexual sin. What's Paul doing? Paul is rebuking them and he's saying, you're proud of yourselves. You're puffed up the same church.

You're all proud saying, we're showing him grace. We're kind. We're allowing him to be in church.

He shouldn't be in church. This man is in sexual sin. He's unrepentant.

He's calling himself a Christian. I'm a brother. I'm a Christian.

I'm going to heaven and you're proud of us. Our grace, our love. We allow him to sit in the church.

You're not allowed to do that. Oh, but we forgive him. You can't forgive him like this.

You can't release this. Listen to what he says. He says, I've already judged him.

I'm sitting in judgment. And he says, wait, no, I'm going to deliver him over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh. You're letting him be in the church.

I'm handing him over to Satan. You're protecting him from Satan. You ought not to.

You know why? Because when a man sins, Satan comes in on that. I assure you. Oh, I'm a Christian, but I live in sin.

You're wide open to the devil. Oh no. Once saved, always saved.

I'm protected. I believe in security in Christ, but that isn't being secure in Christ. That's being secure in your sin.

Secure in your sin. You've been deceived. I can sin.

I can rebel. I can do it grievously, but I'm fine. The devil can't touch me.

Your security isn't in Christ. It is in your sin. Your secure sin.

Nothing can touch me. Paul says a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. He calls the man a lump.

He says in verse two, let him be taken away from among you. He's not repentant. They've gone to him.

They've tried to reason with him. He doesn't listen. Let him be taken away.

Put away. Deliver him unto Satan. Verse five.

Verse seven. Purge him out. I wrote unto you not to keep company with fornicators.

Not to talk about the world. I'll sit and have a meal with a homosexual, a trans man or woman, all sorts of people. I'll sit and eat with them and I'll let them sit in this church if they come in.

But someone who calls themselves a Christian, and listen, he gives six things. They're a fornicator, either committing sexual sin or periodically. Second thing, they're covetous.

I've never seen someone put out of church for being covetous. Always coveting other people's possessions. Covetous, living for the things of this world.

Women have put you out of the church. Have you ever heard anyone say that? Third of all, an idolater using statues. Oh, I'm born again.

Why do you have statues of Mary? Why are you using it for worship? Get rid of it. I'm not even teak with you. A railer, someone who always pours out abusive strife and anger all the time, accusation against others.

Put them out of the church. A drunkard who keeps going to their drink once a week, twice a month. Always turn back to their drink.

We warn you first, we go to you, we go with brothers, we plead with you, we try to help you. But if you refuse to leave it, we have to put you out of church. Not because we hate you, because we love you.

What about an extortioner? Someone who seizes, catches, always taking advantage, either money-wise or emotionally. Always emotionally manipulating. Talking about sinners, not Christians.

Because if you do that with sinners, you need to leave this world. I wouldn't go into Lidl. I wouldn't buy from Amazon.

Some people don't like me buying off Amazon. They're sinners, I know. Okay, show me the shop.

Go shop and don't shop from sinners or wicked people or liars. Go and try and shop. I'm not buying meat from the Muslim.

Why not? Why buy from an Irishman? Saints, I want to tell you, there is real dealing. See, there's a judgment. You don't let these people off the hook.

They're in sin. We just forgive them. Yes, forgiveness is in my heart.

I am always ready to forgive. But they're not repenting. They're not putting right.

They're sinners. You deal with them. Oh, you must be a very angry man.

You mustn't have forgiven them. If you put them out of the church, far from it. I'm the one walking in the love of God, the grace of God, and I know how to recover them.

Saints, what I've just given you is the arrow of unforgiveness. It can hit you. It can hit you severely.

It can destroy your life. I've met people, their entire life is marked with unforgiveness. The fire is burning.

Let me give you a secret. It is faith. Remember how they said, oh, increase our faith.

You know, when Jesus is teaching on unforgiveness, he says, but here's the answer. If you have faith, the size of a mustard seed, he's dealing with unforgiveness. He says, if you have, which is the smallest seed, just faith, very tiny, you can say to this sycamore tree.

It's not a sycamore tree and it's not a mulberry tree. It's a sycamore whose roots go right down into that life. He's talking about unforgiveness and sycamore tree is unforgiveness.

Its roots go everywhere. It goes very deep. You can't dig it up.

You can't get rid of it. It'll take you years of hard work to get rid of a sycamore tree. But Jesus, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, be uprooted, be cast into the sea, and it will be.

Unforgiveness will go from your heart if you have faith. Saints, the shield of faith will do it. Let's stand.

Saints of God, Lord Jesus, we need you. Saints, we need to go to war. We're at war.

This is vicious. We need to guard our hearts. We need pure hearts.

Just as we close here for a few minutes, if you need prayer, I'd ask you just come and stand here. If you just want to pray yourself, just come and kneel in this altar just as we close this time. I know God is speaking to us as a church.

There's something very dangerous and it's in our culture. It's going to rip apart Ireland and Britain and America and the nations of the world. We've got the devil coming in to divide, to destroy, to ruin this generation.

I want to tell you things over racial dispute of culture, of religion. The devil wants to move in on these things. He wants to destroy these nations, but I want to tell you we are not ignorant of the devil's devices.

Don't let anger, don't let bitterness, don't let strife, don't let things in secular society draw you in and embitter you. We do have opinions and strong sentiments, but I tell you saints, walk in the forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Walk in the love of God.

Father, we call upon you right now. Father, I pray help every saint in this room. We need a victory over the devil, over all unforgiveness.

Lord God, we need pure forgiveness in our hearts. We need it to flow like a river. My God, I'm asking of you right now that you'd set lives free, that you'd give us, Lord God, that we might walk in the forgiveness of God, that your name might be great on all the earth.

Extinguish every fiery dart of the evil one in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Hallelujah. We bless you. We praise you.

We rejoice in you. My God, my God.