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This is Peter Rosenberger, and I'm so very glad to be with you. After a couple of weeks off, we've been dealing with quite a few things here in Montana, and I appreciate Stu and Robbie being flexible with me. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bit out of shape. You ever heard of that one? And I'm grateful to them and the entire Truth Network for their constant graciousness with me as I sometimes have to be out on a moment's notice.
866-34-TRUTH, 866-348-7884. Four is the number to be on the program today, and I wanted to. Catch up with the rest of the Truth Network folks and talk a little bit about some things I saw at the Charlie Kirk Memorial. I didn't get to watch the whole thing. But The take-home for me After hearing so many speakers, is that I realize that every one of us will one day have our life summed up by someone else.
And in that moment, the question will be: what will they say about us? I remember I was talking to a very successful lawyer. In in Nashville many years ago, And a third-year law student at Vanderbilt Law School there in Nashville. was seeking advice from him on Where to put out his shingle? Where to go to be a lawyer?
What kind of law? What kind of direction? He was just looking for some life advice. And this guy was a very. very very successful attorney and and seasoned He shared what he communicated to that young law student.
What should I do? Where should I hang out my shingle? What kind of law should I go into? and he told that law student go home, And write your obituary. Write your obituary.
That is the last. public statement people will read about your life. In that setting, that you have a measure of control over. Write your obituary. What do you want it to say?
What kind of impact do you do you want to have on this world when you leave it? And I thought, boy, that's really good advice. And as I was watching the Charlie Kirk Memorial, I thought, what an amazing obituary. of what this young man's life stood for. But then I also heard a lot of the speakers And I was really struck by how well some of them articulated the plan of salvation and the gospel.
Particularly, I was uh stunned by Marco Rubio. uh our secretary of state. And what he did, and so many others. A couple of them got a little bit more into the politics of things, and I. There was a point where this thing was a political rally and this thing was part memorial service.
I don't know that those two ought to be. Conflated. I would prefer to keep them apart. That's just me. Maybe you feel differently, but I...
was struck by A passage in Scripture, 1 Peter. 1 Peter 3.15. Always be ready to give a defence to any one who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you. but do it with gentleness and respect, And I thought that That verse Charlie Kirk really took to heart, evidently, because he was always ready to give a defense to anyone who asked. For the reason that Hope was I remember seeing video clips of him.
of them say, well, why are you a Christian? He said, because Christ saved me. He saved me from my sin. And he was ready, but he was very respectful. He would let people disagree with him.
But then I watched some of the speakers get up and articulate this. And I thought, do we do this? Are we prepared? At a moment's notice. Are we ready?
to give a defense. Of the gospel, we is that what our life stands for? Is that what we want it to stand for at the end of our days? And it's not just about you know, apologetics in the in the classroom, We think of that when we think of apologetics, at least I do, that it's in the classroom. Is that but that's not what he's talking about.
Peter is saying, be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you. And it's about how we live, how we suffer. I was doing an interview the other day, and somebody said, How can you believe in a good and loving God when you see how much suffering there is, particularly with. You and Gracie, for example. And The question I have Is why does he show mercy at all?
Why does God show mercy? He is not obligated. I was just having this conversation with a friend this morning. Because he somehow thinks that, you know, well, the transaction is if we will believe in God, then, you know, he's obligated to save us. God is not obligated to do anything.
His justice would be satisfied If he never saved anyone. But for Christ. And because of what Christ did. Not only The atonement work, but living a righteous life that is imputed. And that's why you have the scripture that says.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful in what? Just to forgive us. Our sins and and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Is justice demands it. because of repentance.
And where does that repentance come from? He gives us the ability to repent, That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Are we prepared to say this to people, to say this is what's going on? Because people look at. me all the time and they say to How do you believe in a good and loving God?
when you see Gracie with ninety eight surgeries and both legs amputated. And I don't understand his purposes in all this for her. I really don't. And anybody that tells you that they do will lie about other things too, because we don't. That's a mystery.
But the greater thing for me is Why does he show me mercy at all? Why does he stave off anything? Listen to what Paul wrote in Ephesians 2, 4 through 5, but God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, Even when we were dead and our trespasses made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved. You saw Erica. Kirk, give The pronouncement of forgiveness for this.
Now, she released him to the consequences of behavior to the state. The state is doing this, she's not going to seek. Blood. She's not going to do that. That's what forgiveness means.
I'm going to release this. to the judgment that God has set in place, which God has set governments in place. That's the purpose of government, to protect lives and property. to be justice on this earth. And even the ones that are bad, They are still established by God, but they're going to have to answer to God.
Remember Pharaoh, he had to answer to God. Every judge, every politician, Every Political leader. will have to answer to God for the authority that they wielded. whether they did it. To honor God and to promote justice are or where they did it.
to promote wickedness. And we've seen both. But Erika made a statement of faith that says I'm going to trust God with this.
Now this young man will face the consequences that is out of her hands. he has committed a capital crime, he will face the consequences. But Erika is not seeking his blood. She's trusting God. And therefore, she can release him to God.
It doesn't mean it doesn't matter, it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. It means she's taking her hands off of someone else's throat. That's what forgiveness means. Some people say, Well, he hasn't asked for forgiveness. You don't have the person, the perpetrator does not have to ask for.
forgiveness. The perpetrator does not have to. reconciliation will not happen. without the perpetrator asking for forgiveness. And it may not happen at all anyway, but it is certainly not going to happen without repentance.
But we can release other people to God's judgment. We can say as an act of faith, Father, you own this. You are just. To Thy will be done, is what she said. Thy will be done.
And trust that He will enact what He's going to enact. That is us being able to give a defense. at a moment's notice of the great work of God, the redemptive work of God through Christ. And that's just a portion of it. If that's something that resonates with you, if that's something you want to share.
If you want to proclaim this and be ready at a moment's notice to do this, you're certainly welcome to call in here and practice on this program. 866-34-TRUTH, 866-348-7884. If you want to weigh in on this or other topics, but think about that verse in 1 Peter. Be ready at a moment's notice. Christian The stakes are high.
Christian? It's electric right now in our culture across the world. People are watching and they're asking, do we really believe this? Do we really believe what we're saying? And why do we believe it?
If you want to weigh in, 866-34-TRUTH-866-348-7884. This is Peter Rosenberger. This is Truth Talk Live. We'll be right back. Truth Talk Live.
You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. This is Peter Rosenberger. Glad to be with you today, 866-348. 7884-866-365.
30. 4. Truth, if you want to be on the program today, we are talking about being ready at a moment's notice to give a defense, to be able to not necessarily be defensive. A lot of people mistake that. No, to just explain to people the gospel.
Do we understand it ourselves? And people say, well, you know, I think Jesus died for my sin. No, no, I preach it to myself. Over and over again. You remember that old hymn, sing them over?
Let me go to the kicker keyboard here. Sing them. Over again. To me. Wonderful words.
of life. Let me more. of their beauty see. Wonderful. works.
life. Words of life And beauty. Teach me faith and duty. And then here's the Course. I love this beautiful word.
you Wonderful words. Wonderful. Words of life. Beautiful words. Wonderful words.
Wonderful. words. Of life. What a great hymn. Philip Bliss wrote the music to that.
He wrote the music to It Is Well With My Soul. By the way, I don't know if you knew that or not. He didn't write the lyrics to it. That was Horatio Spafford. But he wrote the music to that.
He's a wonderful composer. But I love this hymn. Sing them over and again to me preach the gospel to myself. You know, if you've noticed. In life, I don't know if you noticed this or not, I've noticed this.
The best preachers are the ones that are preaching to themselves. And they're preaching that encouragement to themselves. Do you remember the story of David at Ziklag? It's in. I believe it's in First Samuel.
And Saul had been pursuing him, and he and his men were, you know, going about the countryside, and they were all fighting some kind of battle, doing something. And they came back, and I think it was the Malachites had taken all of their families, their possessions, their livestock, everything. They take in everything. And David's own men were so distraught, and he had like six hundred of them. And They picked up rocks and they were going to stone him right there.
And David, it said, encouraged himself in the Lord. He preached to himself. And they dropped the rocks. They all knelt down. They wept before the Lord.
And then they went out and took care of business. They got everybody back, and they took care of business. But he encouraged himself in the Lord. The best way we can prepare ourselves to give up defence at a moment's notice. It's for us to preach to ourselves.
Not preach to other people, not to go out there and lecture other people. I don't like that. Do you like that when people do that to you? They just lecture you. You don't do this right now, you're going to just die and go to hell and go to split hell wide open.
Do you like that? I don't. I don't think it's necessary. I think it's necessary to show people the great need that we have. We got to give them the bad news before we give them the the good news.
But if you go back and look at what Peter said, he said, Do it with gentleness and respect. You don't use the Bible as a cudgel. You don't go out there and just. Bang him over the head with it. You pulled him to this great Saviour.
You have to show them our need of a Saviour. And this hope that God's marvelous plan of redemption. It's magnificent. And that's the heart of what Peter was communicating. Be ready at a moment's notice to do this with gentleness and respect.
always pointing to Christ. the author and finisher of our faith of the book of Hebrews says. And this is what we as Christians need to prepare for. We don't need to be slothful in this. We are constantly having this top of mind.
You've heard of that toma, top of mind awareness. Is this top of mind awareness with you? Do you feel like this is in your headspace at all times. I was doing this this morning with a friend. Who got a lot of things really wrong?
And he was pretty, he said, Well, it seems this way to me. And I said, Well, it doesn't matter what it seems to you. What is the scripture? And he's a believer, by the way. I said, it doesn't matter what it seems to you, what does the Scripture say?
What does it say? And he kept wanting to put his feelings and his thoughts in it and so forth. I said, Your thoughts and my thoughts are irrelevant. What does the Scripture say? And that's when I kept bringing more and more to his mind.
And and then finally said, Okay, now I understand. I see what you're saying now. Because he was putting his feelings into us, and this is what happens in our culture. We want to put our feelings, we want to project what we think God ought to do. I'm guilty of this.
I would love to tell God how to deal with this thing with my wife. How much is enough suffering for her? And I'll never forget going into her 91st surgery, and I was praying with her, and I was struggling. I said, Lord, it's just too much. And then she corrected me after her prayer.
This is just earlier this year. And she said, she looked at me, she said, 91 surgeries is not too many. It's however many he feels is necessary. to accomplish that which he's going to do, The question is, are we going to bow the knee to him. and say, as Christ said, Thy will be done.
Not my will, but thine. Erica Kurt modeled that on Sunday. Thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. This is what we as Christians are are called to stand and do.
And the question is, are we prepared to do it? Are we ready to do it? Even in the face of Brutal. Pushback. And you could see the culture.
Does it seem like that to you, that the culture is just becoming increasingly More rapidly antagonistic to the things of God. We've been kind of an idol here in the United States. We're kind of an anomaly. That we've been separated by two oceans from a lot of stuff that goes on in the world. But, you know, we, Charlie Kirk was killed.
Two weeks ago. Today. But how many of our brothers and sisters have been killed in Nigeria? And these are horrific atrocities. Did you see what's going on in Syria?
These are our brothers and sisters. And so the world is becoming emboldened. in in attacking the things in the people of God. Are we prepared to deal with this? Are you prepared?
If so, What has happened in your life to prepare you for this? What are the things that you're stewing on and thinking on and pursuing? What are the scriptures that you're studying that you're just committing into your heart? Thy word have I hid in my heart that I may not what? Sin against thee What are you doing?
About that. Because I promise you, the time is coming where we're going to be put in these situations. Maybe not quite on national television like some. But it doesn't mean it's not going to happen. Our brothers and sisters in Nigeria did not get on national television.
They were butchered. And in It it it and and in Syria is the same thing. Are we prepared? To do like Stephen did as he was being stoned and look up and see Christ. seated at the right hand, knowing that He's interceding for us.
Do our lives speak to that? Are we able to say Sing them over again to me. wonderful words of life. let me more of thy beauty see. Wonderful words of life beautiful words Wonderful words.
Are they beautiful and wonderful to you? They're not to the world. It inflames them. 'Cause you remember what happened when Stephen looked up and he saw Jesus. The guys that were stoning him?
It enraged them even more. They picked up more rocks. They were ready to go. They wanted to kill him and they did. Are those words beautiful to you?
If they're not. This is your time. This is a wonderful opportunity. for you to say to the Lord, I hear these words Father, show me. I repent of my sin.
I am a sinner. By the way, you're not a sinner because you sinned. You sin. Because you're a sinner. It is in our DNA and we need the whole We need a resurrection.
We don't need a crutch.
Some people say Christianity is a crutch. No, it's not a crutch. It is a resurrection event. because we are dead in sin, But his eye diffuses a quickening ray and we are brought to life. Wonderful words of life.
Be ready at a moment's notice to share. the gospel. These are exciting times we're living in. And the enemy knows it, and it's ramping it up. 866-34-TRUTH, 866-348-7884.
This is Truth Talk Live. We'll be right back. True to the You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. This is Peter Rosenberger.
Glad to be with you, 86634 Truth. 866-348-7884. If you want to be a part of the program, let's go to Dayton, Ohio, the great city of Dayton. And Bucksman, how you doing today? Hey, how you doing, Brother Peter?
You know, for the shape I'm in, I'm in pretty good shape. Yes, and how's that dear wife of yours? She has a long ways to go, Buxman. Thank you for ask asking. She is um she's struggling a bit, and it's it's it's a long journey, but she's tougher than a waffle house steak.
You know, I like Waffle House steaks.
Well, then you know how tough they are. I do know how tough they are. They're like boot leather, but if you put enough A1 sauce on it there, Brother Peter, they're good as gold. You could put enough A1 sauce on. Submit block in the middle.
You wouldn't even know it wasn't a Napplehouse steak. Indeed, indeed, indeed.
Well, what do you have on your mind today?
Well I still have to watch that uh that Um Charlie Kirk event that happened a couple of days ago, Brother Peter. A friend of mine sent me a picture of Erica. hugging President Trump. He said, hey, Bussman, check this out. And I I'm going to slightly disagree, brother.
I think her forgiveness came too soon. I believe that uh uh Erica wasn't the one shot and hurt by Tyler. but her dear husband And I would say, you know. If Charlie got hit and got him, let's just say he got his arm blown off but was still alive. entirely came to him since he was the perpetrated.
And said, you know what? I changed my ways, Charlie. I come to find the Lord Jesus Christ. I hate what I did to you. On that day, I'm glad I didn't kill you now, even though I was trying.
Would you please forgive me? I'm your brother now. And we are then demanded. Brother Peter, to grant that person, that repentant person, that onesomus. in the book of Philemon.
forgiveness. And that's why Paul wrote to Philemon and said, Hey, He's not that terrorist no more. I got him, I brought him to Jesus, and I'm sending back to you there Philemon. And I brought you to Jesus, as a matter of fact, Philemon.
So we're all brothers now.
So when Simmeth gets out of prison, You receive him on my authority since I'm your spiritual father. And so I haven't seen that move by Tyler. And maybe it will come. But I believe that What Erica did, and I know her heart, Brother Peter. I know her heart.
I don't. She calls. Yeah. Sure, and Samuel teaches that. You mentioned that we can only see the outward appearance, but God sees the heart.
That's what the prophet said, Samuel said to. To uh uh Jesse, David's dad. And um I'm just thinking, no, that's spiritual enablement.
Now, anybody else who wants to. to hurt or harm or even kill a Christian. Uh Well, look, they forgive. Let's go kill as many as we can.
So, they're going to automatically forgive us. They're speaking on behalf of this God person that we don't believe in. Let's go blow up as many children in little Sunday schools as we can. because one of the main speakers on behalf of that movement is Erica Kirk, who we we killed Charlie. You know, and hey, we didn't get anything.
I mean, obviously, you said, like you said, he's going to get prison, serious prison time. But what's that going to say to the person who's who's thinking about killing Christians? Yeah. Let's back up just to hear. She is a victim.
Charlie stepped into the presence of Jesus right now.
So as soon as it happened, he was dead almost instantly. But she and her children, particularly her and and her and her sister in law and her parents, are the ones that have to live with the anguish of this for the rest of their lives.
Now the question is this killer may never ask for forgiveness.
So, what is her response? But he may, but he may, Brother Peter. I understand what your fatling is. He may, he may come to know the Lord in the future. I understand.
But if he does it. How long should she wait to offer forgiveness? Until he repents, because we don't believe it. They don't believe on it. She can't forgive him.
Without repentance? Is that what you're telling me?
Well, according to the Bible, according to what I've been reading, because I heard this brought up by Gary Chapman. you know, the one who did the five love languages. And I had to agree with Gary Chapman. And I thought, yeah, Gary, that's what my Bible says. But I think in Christianity, we have been taught that we are to be nicer than God when God held those people accountable.
He said, unless ye repent, you cannot receive forgiveness. That's what is forgiveness. What does forgiveness mean? Forgiveness means you have come to me in a state of brokenness. for your crime.
No. And I grant it to you. Forgiveness means I'm releasing this to the judgment of God. Show me that in scripture. But look through all of scripture.
You're saying, look at what Joseph did with his brothers. What you meant for evil. They came in repentance. They did not repent. They were afraid he was going to kill them.
They sure did when David repented. They were reconciled after themselves. After he revealed himself and he told them, they were afraid. He cried and he wept and he fell on their necks. He offered forgiveness.
He offered forgiveness before they even asked. They were afraid he was going to kill them. But he also put a cup in the backpack to. To test them. To make them.
Yeah, I understand. I understand it there. But she doesn't, she's not. She's not required to. She's releasing that.
She said very clearly: he's going to be at the mercy of the state. I'm not seeking blood on this one. That's what she's saying. It's not, I'm not going to go. after this guy with the vengeance.
Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. Nobody ever detected that, and I haven't watched it yet. But what I have seen, the footage, like her speech, I did watch her speech. But I didn't detect that that she was holding blood against Tyler. Right, she didn't.
She said that. I'm not going to. I'm going to leave that up to the state authorities. He's going to face the consequences. I'm going to live my life peacefully, knowing that this is in God's hands.
Thy will be done. Yeah, on a temporal level, that's great, but on a spiritual level, All the other people that's thinking about doing this kind of crime are just going to say, Well, let's just shoot them up because these people don't kick back at all. But then Trump came along as the voice of the state and said, I'm not going to do that. And the state has the responsibility established by God to pr preserve law and order. and to exact exact judgment.
She does not have the authority over this guy to do anything. She doesn't. Correct. The only thing she has authority of is her own thoughts, words, and deeds. And she says, I'm releasing this to God and forgiving this young man.
He's God's problem, not mine. I wish that Erica would have Read a little bit more because even God won't forgive Tyler until. Tyler comes to the feet of the cross and says, Father, forgive me. I receive your son now. I understand.
That's on top. Why should Erica forgive him before God does? Sh she's because she was, number one, instructed to You forgive. How many times do I forgive? All those things about it, but also what does what does resentment do to you if you hold on to resentment?
How do we know she's going to resent him, brother? We know that because she said she's not going to. We know she's not going to. She just said it. I'm not going to.
She said, I'm not going to. I'm not going to. Hold that hold that thought for a second. She said I'm not going to live in resentment. That's her choice, absolutely.
But that doesn't mean she's got to grant on behalf of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I wasn't aware she was granting on behalf of Jesus. She was granting on behalf of Erica. If she's filled with the Holy Spirit, then she's the ambassador of Jesus Christ on earth, brother Peter. That's all Christians should be.
And when Jesus was on the cross, he said, Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing. Correct. They were not repentant. As far as I'm aware of, they were not repenting of the world to make that establishment so that later on Busman and Brother Peter and Erica could use that authority that was done. in the first century apply that when our perpetrator comes and says bossman.
She's not forgiving him of his sin, she's forgiving him of the offense that was done to her. That's what she's communicating. She's not absolving. I think what happens is we try to conflate the word forgiveness with absolving. She's not absolving him.
He's guilty. But she's releasing that. Forgiveness means you're basically taking your hands off of someone else's throat. I don't disagree that she may have done it a little early. I think sometimes it takes a little bit of time to process it.
But there are people who have since Erica was a child. Hold that thought just a second. Speaking on beside a cross. Go ahead, brother.
Well, she's not necessarily, she also speaks for herself. But there are people that stand at the graves of loved ones who abused them. And extend forgiveness to that so they can release it to God. Kyler's still alive, Brother Peter. I understand, but those people in the graves didn't ask.
Right, and they can't now because they're dead. Reconciliation, however, I think we're dancing around two different words. Reconciliation happens. Reconciliation happens when somebody repents. Or at least it's possible.
may not happen. But forgiveness means I'm taking my hands off of this and leaving them to the judgment of God. I'm taking my hands off of somebody else's throat. I don't have to have relationship with them. I don't have to have fellowship with them.
But I'm not going to carry resentment. There's a difference between that and reconciliation. She is not speaking on behalf of Christ in the sense of, I'm absolving him of his sin. He's got to pay. And he will pay that.
He's going to pay on both. He's going to pay on both. Maybe not. Maybe not, Brother Peter. There was made by the Lord in prison, get saved, and then he'll come and he'll really ask for forgiveness of his own volition.
And then, dear Erica is commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ and his Father God to forgive that perpetrator because now he's reconciled unto the brethren. Monday. the the uh the the terrorists.
Well, I've never known anybody to find God. That's just a word of semantics, obviously.
Well, it's an important word. It's an important word. we could pray that his eyes be opened and that his heart be broken, and that God would save him. May it be a holy contrition common to Erica. Right.
And she may not.
Now he gets to walk scot-free. And you know what the enemy is going to do to him? Yeah, you're forgiven, Powell. You don't have to worry about coming to Christ. You have nothing to worry about because that woman forgave you in front of the whole entire world.
You know what that beast is going to do, Brother Peter.
Well, I don't, Satan is the father of lies, he's going to do whatever he's going to do. That's right. He's going to lie to him and say something like God because Erica did.
So So what you're telling me, from what I understand. Yes. What you're telling me is if somebody does an offense against you Yeah, and they and they do not come to you in any way, fashion, or form. You are not you are not going to extend any forgiveness. to them.
Until he comes to me in holy contrition. No, I live my life by showing peace and love to draw into Christ that would break his heart. But until then, no.
Well, I appreciate the call and I appreciate you sharing that. Thank you, Buxman. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. This is Peter Rosenberger 866.
348-7884-866-34 Truth. A robust conversation with Bucks. But let me just read a couple of scriptures here because I understand what he's saying. It's hard to offer forgiveness when somebody doesn't ask for it. But is that what scripture teaches explicitly.
Or is there Couple different things that we could look at, come at this thing from different passages. A state of forgiveness.
So, for example, to Buckman's point, Luke seventeen, three through four, pay attention to yourself. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times saying, I repent, you must forgive him. Bucksman was absolutely on the money for that one. Matthew eighteen, twenty one through twenty two. Then Peter came up and said, Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?
As many as seven times? And Jesus said, I do not say to you seven times. I say seventy seven times.
So in other words, among the brethren, if they come and ask, we are compelled to do so. But what about if they haven't asked? What about like what he said with Erica? No. Personally, I think it's a little soon because it's a difficult thing to walk through, and the trauma of this thing is going to be.
um long for the rest of her life and her children's life. And I think it takes a little time to process those sort of thing. But Needless to say, is she doing something against scripture? Because she's not speaking. For God She's not absolving him, but He's she's not forgiving him his sins.
She's forgiving him for what he did to her, the the harm that he did.
So Mark eleven twenty five And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Well, that's a um That that's an interesting Passage, isn't it? It didn't say When you're standing and praying, and they're asking you. Go ahead and forgive. It says, and whenever you stand praying, forgive. They haven't asked yet.
If you have anything against someone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. She doesn't want to hold on to this. And she's going to release it to him. It's not that she's saying it doesn't matter. It's not that she's absolving.
or any of us are. It's saying, I release this to God. It is an act of faith. Matthew five forty four But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. Stephen, for example.
He was being stoned. And he cried out, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. They haven't asked. But he's interceding for them. And asking God to not hold that sin against him.
Jesus did the same thing from the cross. It's a difficult thing, isn't it? But I think that when we walk in forgiveness, being ready to forgive. Not because we're saying it doesn't matter. And I understand what Buxman is saying: that, okay, well, now if Christians are going to just roll over, let's go out there and just persecute more and shoot more of them.
I don't think that is the case here. I don't think that is what the message is. The message is: I'm not going to walk in bitterness. And I go back to Jim Elliott. And uh He and Nate Saint and the others that were killed there by the Alca Indians back in South America in the 1950s.
And then Elizabeth Elliott and Marjorie Saint, and some of the others, I think, are I think that was Nate's wife. But they went back and they led that. whole tribe to the Lord. But they went to them first. They went to them first.
They didn't, the Alcus didn't come. to them first and say, hey, you know, we're sorry, would you forgive us for killing all your men? They went to them. And I said, We're going to release this to God. And I go back to what was said very clearly by Joseph.
What you meant for evil God meant for good.
Now Joseph's brothers may have been reconciled to him. and they may have asked for forgiveness. But he extended it first He extended grace first. And that is what we're called to do as believers. to extend grace.
First. Period.
Now, that doesn't mean we have to be a buddy buddy. She doesn't have to go visit this guy in jail. She doesn't have to do anything. That That's he he's It that issue is settled by The authorities. And then if he comes to Christ?
and make some type of Outreach. that will deal with that at the time and she'll deal with that appropriately, I'm sure, at the time. But right now she's releasing it to God. Instead of saying, I'm going to have blood lust on me, and I will avenge this. And she said, I'm not going to do that.
I'm going to walk in forgiveness. and trust that God's justice It's perfect. that he will make this right.
Somehow. And that doctrine of divine concurrence, whatever's going on, God is superintending all of this. But we can't walk in bitterness. We can't walk in this thing. It'll eat us alive.
Let no root of bitterness grow up in you, Hebrews says.
So that's The way I see it. I'm open to be wrong. But that's the way I'm looking at it with scripture because I'm looking at people that are offering it without being asked.
Now reconciliation will not happen without somebody being asked. Samuel, In Jacksonville, Florida. Samuel? Good afternoon. How're you doing?
Well, do we have Samuel?
Well, we'll get to Samuel Heron in just a minute here. I think he's calling in, or he's on the line here.
So When you offer forgiveness, remember this: you're not absolving somebody of their sins. We don't have that kind of power. Only scripture. Only Christ, the Word of God, has that kind of power. We can just simply extend.
Our releasing of this to God's judgment. And God may very well use the State The government? to execute this man or other other mess or whatever happens in this life or the next. That's up to God. Do we trust God's justice in this or not?
Okay, now I think we have Samuel. Samuel? Good afternoon, Samuel. How are you doing? I'm doing good.
What's on your mind? One of the things about it when he was saying about she forgave him too quickly You know What he's doing is judging her. Because if your heart is right with God, There's nothing wrong with forgiveness. I my son got murdered in two thousand six. And I know that my closest and my walk with God.
gave me the strength of my brothers and sisters in Christ, Gave me the strength to forgive that person, whether he asked for forgiveness or not. That's between him and God. I had to get it straight with my heart so that God can minister to me. I think you're absolutely right, Samuel. How quick is too quick?
How long is too long? How long should I hold on to? Unforgiveness. You know, when you start asking You're One of the Things I looked at. The longer you hold it.
own to it, it's going to bitter your heart and cause your heart to get hard. And that's what the book of Hebrews says. Don't let a root of bitterness grow up in you. And it would be very easy for her, for you, Samuel, to have that bitterness. Your son was murdered.
And you you saw this anguish And deep wounds, I don't know much about a lot of things, but I've been around somebody who has been wounded physically. For a long time. I've been taking care of her for 40 years. Deep wounds can get infected very quickly. And the deeper the wound, the easier for infection.
And the only way for infection to be dealt with is you have to irrigate that out. and clean it all. It's called debrising it. and you have to clean it all out. And how do we clean out Us.
Well, you go back to Psalm 51. Search my heart, O God. Clean me with the hyssop. The Holy Spirit cleans this out. And that's what he did in your life, Samuel.
The Holy Spirit came heavy on you to wash this out because that wound was so deep. And it still hurts. You've still got a big scar, I'm sure. But you also saw the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit in your life. And he's still Working in my life today.
that I need to go. Through this life, because I know one day I will spend eternity with my father. and my son, because I know that he gave his life to Christ. Absolutely. And that's you know I don't know how God redeems all these things in heaven.
I don't know what that all is going to look like. We have no idea. Paul said: no eye has seen or ear has heard. But I know that he is just. And there's a great hymn.
You know that old hymn of Beast. Uh be still my soul. It's a wonderful hymn, and then it says, My Jesus can repay From his own fulness all he takes away. Out of his own fullness, he can repay that. And another thing is not looking at talking about people going to have an okay to do something Christian.
But how many people heard that? and had that kind of spirit dominating them, But that delivered when she said that. You know, we don't know. We don't know how God is going to use this. but we know this, that he will use it.
And I go back to it, and I would encourage everybody listening to go back and look at the story of Jim Elliott. And Jim Elliott said very finely, he was 28 years old when he was murdered. And he said before in the book that he wrote, I think in the Shadow of the Almighty, he said, He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose. And for whatever reason, God allows these things. I don't know why God has allowed.
All these things. But the other thing I don't know what God has allowed, Samuel, I don't know why He allows mercy. I don't know why he shows us mercy. What have we ever done to make God obligated to show us mercy? We are sinners.
And the fact that He shows us mercy. is astonishing given the gravity of our sin, and I think that the issue is that we do not understand how big a problem sin is. And therefore, it's hard to understand how magnificent The cross is. Samuel, we're out of time. Thank you so much.
My heart hurts with you and your family, but you know what? You're going to see your boy. The Lord knows what it's like to lose his son. He is close to the brokenhearted. He knows that pain, Samuel, your Savior is acquainted with that pain.
And you're going to see him again, and that is truth. Talk. Laugh. This is Peter Rosenberg, and we'll see you next time.
