I want to talk about forgiveness and actually, you know, Bethel requires us, Bethel

is a title for a message which is kind of interesting. Sometimes it's hard to come for the title and it is the message.

So I call this bitterness as an equal opportunity destroyer.

Why don't you turn to Matthew chapter 5 and we'll just jump right into the message today.

I love the Bible. I especially love the words of Jesus. Bill said many years ago he began sharing that his motto.

Jesus is perfect theology. And if whatever you find in the life of Jesus or the teaching of Jesus, if you're understanding the Bible, if you can't find what you believe in either the teaching of Jesus or the life of Jesus, you have reason to question it.

That's Bill's quote in, at least I have it partly memorized. I hope it's close to what. Sometimes I'm quoting Bill and he's on the front row going, I'm like close, he's like,

so I want to jump into just the middle of an excitation that Jesus is actually giving, I think just to his disciples, but now to us. Verse 21, you've heard it said that the ancients were told that you shall not murder and whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.

But I say to you that everyone who's angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court and whoever says to his brother, you're good for nothing shall be guilty of the Supreme Court and whoever says you fool shall be guilty enough to go into the fire into a fiery hell.

Therefore, if you're presenting your offering at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, everybody say your brother has something against you.

Leave your offering there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, then come and present your offering.

I want to just start right there and say that we're responsible for our actions and I want to talk today about two sides of offense and forgiveness.

The first one is mentioned here when Jesus is talking about the fact that somebody has something against you and I would say that it would be also the reverse would be true.

If you have something against your brother, but I like that Jesus begins with you, you go to giving offering.

You're here this morning and you're worshiping God and it's amazing how vibrant and how jealous we can be in worship and yet sometimes when our hearts are when we've offended other people, God is like, you're your dances amazing, you're singing is great.

I love your clapping but your brother has something against you and right now is important as worship is to God and we always say in this house and have for many years that our first ministry is to God.

God says when you are come into my house and you're ministering to me and you realize that somebody has something against you even though it's as important as worship is, it's just as important or maybe in this case in the context of Jesus' words, maybe it's more important that you reconcile with your brother.

When Jesus is telling us, don't tell me that you want to worship me and not clean up your mess with your brother.

And so how many of you understand that we have a responsibility, that we have to take responsibility for our actions and that living in unforgiveness or having offended somebody and not doing something about that's not okay with God?

This means just. Do you understand that the way that we go about reconciling with our brother is not a personality type?

In other words, if somebody has, if I have offended somebody or somebody has or I have something against somebody else, how many know that I'm not supposed to pray about it?

Here we go. If I'm carrying unforgiveness for somebody, Jesus didn't tell me, pray about it.

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