·
Matthew 5:21-24
·
Matthew 6:14-15
·
Mark 11:25-26
The following is a commentary on the above verses
“Know that Jesus equates anger with murder. Be very careful how you speak to others, lest hateful words bring you into God’s judgment. Practise instant reconciliation. Understand that God forgives us our sins as we forgive others who sinned against us. Adopt the forgiveness of others into your daily prayer life as a daily discipline.”
“A major emphasis of Jesus’ teaching is how to build & maintain right relationships with God & man. He views these relationships as neither unimportant nor extraneous, but as the essence of which life is made. Knowing God is our highest priority, but this pursuit should not replace or diminish our interpersonal relationships with others. Rather, our personal interaction with God should produce within us the qualities of character that build & sustain all our relationships.”
· Luke 23:33-34
(This is what the LORD gave to me.) If Jesus had not forgiven all those involved in His crucifixion, He would have had no right to ascend to His princely position in Heaven at the side of His Father. If He had not done this, He would have died as a mere man, and left the rest of the human race in trouble. There would be no love, no forgiveness, no mercy – all would have disappeared, destroyed. There would be nothing left but DARKNESS, and the human race forever under the thrall of Satan.
Unforgiveness closes the doors of the heart. It binds us in chains of hate & bitterness, imprisons us in spiritual darkness, and places us in the hands of the evil one. Unforgiveness leads to the destruction not only of the soul, but the mind, the heart, and even the body. And not just the individual, but when it abounds among believers, unforgiveness leads to the destruction of the Body of Messiah itself.
How can we come into the Holy Place, and bring our gift of worship & praise to the altar, if we are angry with a brother or sister in Messiah? To enter the Holy Place with unforgiveness in our hearts is to render worship & praise worthless, no more than pretty words & music. It is a stink in the nostrils of the LORD our God. His Holy Spirit will not enter into our worship with us.
Furthermore, we will stand before the LORD with our own sins unforgiven, no matter how hard we beg for them to be forgiven. Then we worship not in spirit & in truth, but in a place of darkness, where the Light does not penetrate. No matter how we try to stir up our emotions, to stir up our worship, the Spirit will remain outside, & the ceiling will remain as glass.
True forgiveness opens up the doors of the heart. It breaks the chains that bind us, it releases us into a place of true Shalom & Light, & frees us from Satan’s hands into the hands of the Messiah. Then we may enter the Holy Place, and lay our gifts upon the altar. The Holy Spirit enters our worship & praise, we worship in spirit & truth, and the sweet fragrance of it rises like incense into Heaven itself, bringing blessing to the LORD our God, who then blesses us abundantly in return.
· Matthew 18:15-25