Brothers and Sisters Forgive in Love and Live in Peace Genesis 50:15–21; Matthew 18:21–35 

 

Grace, mercy and peace to you, from God our Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord and Brother.

 

We’re going to talk about Brothers and Sisters Forgiving in Love and Living in Peace, based on our Old Testament and Gospel Readings.

 

In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus warned about the grave sin of misleading little children, or anyone, away from God. 

 

Anyone who would entice a friend, or a family member, or a son or daughter or child, or anyone to sin against God, woe to that person, Jesus says.

 

Rather than tempting and enticing our neighbor to sin and do wrong, far better is to forgive them, and encourage them to do right. 

 

And far better is to ask them to forgive you for ever having tempted them to sin, and for sinning against them...

 

In the last part of last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus gave His followers a process to use when a Christian brother or sister sins against us and wrongs us in some way. 

 

The process begins by going to that person, with love and self-control, not with anger… and telling him or her, in a firm but gentle way, how their actions have hurt you, and sinned against you, and against God. 

 

And if that doesn’t get anywhere, to bring one or two others with you, to help to intervene… with the goal that it will bring about repentance… and forgiveness… and hopefully, reconciliation.

 

Because that’s what God wants: for brothers and sisters to forgive in love and live in peace. 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, love and forgive and reconcile… that’s God’s vision for His family.

 

This morning, Nash Ricky Moorhouse, little Nash, was made a dear child of God, adopted into the blessed family of Christ… 

 

Nash is washed in the waters of Holy Baptism, his sins are forgiven…

 

… he’s promised an eternal, priceless, glorious inheritance… 

 

… and welcomed into this fellowship of love, God’s Kingdom of Grace, His Church.

 

It's been quite the morning for Nash… this is a monumental day for him, to receive all these blessings to live by, and many more.

 

And remaining faithful in Christ, it will be quite the life for Nash, a spiritually blessed life today, and tomorrow, and a life blessed in every way, forever. 

 

Lucky for Nash, or good for him, a blessing for him, he has a big sister, who will help him and show him how to do things… 

 

… and Christian parents, to show him how to walk with Christ and grow in His Word and His ways.

 

And he has a church home, a spiritual family to show Nash how brothers and sisters in Christ, forgive in love, and live in peace.

 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus taught Peter, and the disciples, and He teaches us, about the faithful stewardship of forgiveness, because, in Christ we are forgiven, and forgiving people.

 

It’s been said that forgiveness is the currency of the Church. 

 

God deals with His family according to the forgiveness won by His Son. 

And how good it is that He does, otherwise we’d be ruined. 

 

Because Christ deals with us according to grace, forgiveness, so we deal with others according to forgiveness. 

 

Forgiveness is the gold standard of the Kingdom of Christ, the highest currency of any kingdom anywhere…  

 

… and God has made us the stewards of this highest standard, this golden gift of grace.

 

It’s our task to declare God’s forgiveness for all who repent… and to personally forgive others, as we’ve been forgiven.      

 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus told the parable of the debtor to the king, who couldn’t pay his debts, so the king ordered him and his family to be sold into slavery.

 

The poor man begged for mercy, and the king, feeling compassion for him and his family, forgave all his considerable debts.

 

But the forgiven debtor learned nothing from that act of mercy. 

 

He turned around and violently confronted his debtor, and had him thrown into prison, and possibly his family sold into slavery.

 

When the king heard about it, he was furious.

 

That man was forgiven so much, and in return, he belligerently refused to do the same… he failed to forgive his debtor for far less.

 

By refusing to be merciful and forgive, he made a mockery of his king’s mercy toward him.

 

When we, God’s fully forgiven children, refuse to forgive others, it makes a mockery of the forgiveness given to us by blood, by His Son on the cross…

 

… and given to us with a pledge, the very presence of God for us, the Holy Spirit living in us, making our hearts His home, so that He might help and empower us to forgive others.

 

And so Jesus told Peter, and tells us, to forgive not 7 times, but 70 times 7, and more… 

 

… to put no limits on our forgiveness of others, but forgive from the heart, where the power of the Holy Spirit is… 

 

… and to forgive in a way that copies and honors the great and perfect forgiveness we’ve been given in the Gospel.

 

So let us sincerely forgive one another in love, and joyfully live and serve together in peace.

      

In our Old Testament, Joseph’s brothers, who years before had intended to murder him, but instead sold him into slavery, feared that his forgiveness toward them wasn’t sincere…

 

… that it was only temporary, until their father died, after which he would use the power of his office in the Egyptian court to severely punish them.

 

Joseph wept that his brothers would think he would ever do such a thing to them.  

 

He assured them that he would not seek revenge… which is one of the marks of forgiveness, foregoing revenge, not striking back, not getting even... 

 

… not attempting to make things right by retaliating, but by forgiving.

 

That may sound crazy to the world, but it’s the gold standard of the golden Kingdom.

 

Joseph had truly forgiven them, and would continue to be at peace with them, because that’s what godly brothers do.

 

In Christ, brothers and sisters forgive in love, and live in peace.

 

It’s not always easy, usually isn’t… it takes a lot of effort, and energy, and commitment… but the great and perfect Forgiver helps us to forgive more in that holy way, that He has forgiven and made peace with us. 

 

Our forgiveness reaches Christian maturity, that golden standard, when we get to the point where we find ourselves genuinely happy when something good happens to that person who hurt us so badly… 

 

… or when we’re there for them and help them when they need it.

 

That’s what Joseph did upon forgiving his brothers… he took care of them. 

 

He said to his brothers, “Do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.

 

Joseph genuinely wanted good for them, rather than that they should have to suffer for their horrible sin against him… because Joseph knew that God had fully forgiven him, and them.

 

How perfectly our God loves us… how completely He forgives us. 

 

May He help and bless us to love and forgive in that same way, that we may be brothers and sisters, forgiving in His love… and living in His peace, that passes understanding, and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, who teaches us how to love and forgive like Him. Amen.