Good morning again and thankful for the opportunity to be here with you all this morning. Open your Bibles with me to Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter four. Verse 32 will serve as our text, but let's begin with verse 31. Paul writes, let all bitterness and wrath and anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. Be ye kind, not harsh, not bitter, but kind, gracious, pleasant, one to another. Be tenderhearted. That word means to be compassionate. to be sympathetic to others, forgiving one another as God. And listen to these three words, for Christ's sake, for Christ's sake. I know we often hear these three words Not in reverence, not in praise, but in blasphemy. At work, when people are upset. But listen to these three words in light of God's word. Forgiving one another. as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. How has he forgiven his people? Think about that. How has he forgiven his people? He's forgiven us freely. By his grace, he has forgiven His people. He has forgiven us fully, completely. Forgiven us of our trespasses and sins. He's forgiven us forever. Forever. That's typically not how we forgive people, is it? We forgive them until they wrong us again, or maybe sometimes it doesn't even take that long, right? Scripture says this, their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. They've been put away. He has forgiven us for Christ's sake. Not for man's works. Our best works are filthy rags in the sight of Almighty God. Not for man's righteousness. That's easy. We don't have any. There's none righteous. No, not one. He has forgiven us, his sheep, his elect, for Christ's sake. For the sake of another. He loved us and gave himself for us. we're saved. God's people are saved. Our sins put away. He has forgiven us. Think about the significance of that. Our sins have been put away by His blood, by His righteousness, by His grace. And we are instructed in this passage of scripture to be kind. It goes against our nature, doesn't it? To be tenderhearted, to forgive one another. for Christ's sake, as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us. That's pretty specific, isn't it? He said, as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. This thought has crossed my mind on a number of times. I've wondered, does a person truly deserve forgiveness unless they ask for it? I typically look at that in the sense of me. If someone has offended me, should I forgive them unless they ask for it? You know, if that was the case, it would make forgiveness conditional. One of the old writers said this. He said, to forgive and forget the offense and not bring it up hereafter. To forgive them before they repent and without asking. Why? How? For Christ's sake. Consider what our Lord endured on the cross. He was scourged and beaten. Beyond recognition. Beyond recognition. False witnesses spoke against him. They made up things to say about the Lord Jesus Christ. He was mocked. He was spat upon. I can't think of anything more disgusting than to be spit upon. A crown of thorns was thrust on his head. They made that crown and they shoved it down on his head. He was nailed, nailed to the cross. Those spikes driven, driven through his hands. He was crucified. And men said things like this, if he be the Christ. They questioned who he was. They said, let his blood be upon us and on our children. Crucify him. That's what they cried out. And listen, that's what we would have cried out as well, probably louder than anyone in attendance. Did any of them ask for forgiveness? Yet our Lord, in the midst of all of this, in the midst of being crucified, in the midst of his suffering, As those men were casting lots and gambling over who would get his garment, he spake these words to his father. What did he say? Forgive them. Forgive them, for they know not what they do. In Matthew chapter 18, turn there with me, Matthew chapter 18. Look at verse 21 of Matthew 18. Then came Peter to him, and he said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Is that enough? Would I be kind if I forgave him seven times? Is that enough? At what point can I say, that's it? Seven times, that seems like plenty, doesn't it? And our Lord answered him and he said, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until 70. times seven. What if the Lord looked at us and he said after seven times, that's it. We wouldn't make it through this service, would we? David wrote this in the Psalms. He said, Lord, if thou shouldst mark iniquities, what's the rest of that? Who shall stand? Our text, be ye kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you." Isn't that a good reminder for us to be forgiving? Listen to the words of our Lord. He said in Matthew 5, turn there with me, Matthew chapter 5 verse 43. Our Lord speaking, again, Matthew 5, verse 43, he said, you've heard that it has been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. I say unto you, listen, this is the Lord speaking. I say unto you, love your enemies. Bless them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you. He did that ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven for he maketh his son to rise on the evil and the good and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. Four, if you love them which love you, what reward have you? It's easy to love people that love us. If you love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans do the same? Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. I'll ask you a silly question. Has God, has God forgiven us? Has God forgiven his people for Christ's sake? Scripture says he has. Yeah, I was trying to think of an illustration of this, how someone could be forgiven, how someone could be shown mercy for the sake of another. And I believe one of the best illustrations of this, again, is in God's Word. Back in 2 Samuel chapter 9, 2 Samuel 9. Here we read in this passage of scripture of King David showing mercy. because a man deserved it? No. Showing mercy for the sake of another. Jonathan, whom David loved, he had a son that was lame on his feet. He was crippled, and he was likely hiding from David. There was a new king. There he was in hiding, no doubt fearing that if King David found him, he would kill him. You know, it was common for a new king to kill all the rivals, not have to worry about someone taking the enemy's place in a few years. He wanted to avoid maybe anyone from ever challenging the throne. Look at verse 3. Again, of 2 Samuel 9, the king said, this is one speaking in authority, and he said this, is there any of the house of Saul? I'm going to show him the kindness of God. I'm going to show mercy. Again, look at verse 3. Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son which is lame on his feet. A poor, crippled man. And if you read the history of it, you'll see that he was lame as the result of a fall. That's us. That's us. Lame as the result of a fall. Look at verse 5. King David sent and fetched him out of the house of Maker, the son of Amiel, from Lodabar. David sent and fetched him for this purpose, to show mercy. He sent his servant to fetch him, to bring him back, and that servant called him and brought him to King David. Can you imagine at any point of that him saying, I don't think I want to go, or let me think about this, let me make a decision, or I don't think I'm going to let you show mercy. No, the king has sent his servant to fetch this man and to bring him back to himself. Nothing's going to stop that from happening. Verse 7, as you can imagine, Mephibosheth had to be fearful. He's being brought before the king. And listen to these words, David said unto him, fear not. Don't be afraid. Fear not, for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake. Mephibosheth is brought into the presence of the king himself knowing he's an enemy. He's an enemy of the king. And he fell on his face, no doubt, and did reverence to the king. Do we know anything of God's holiness? God is absolutely holy. Do we know anything of our sin? the sin that's in us, our nature, and what God's law and justice demands. Every reason to fear. Every reason to fear. Scripture says this, the soul that sinneth, it shall surely die. God's going to punish sin. Yet he speaks, fear not. Can you imagine the relief that had to fill Mephibosheth, like every part of his being? How scary that journey must have been to be brought before the king, and now he hears these two words. Fear not. Fear not. Verse seven. How is it? How is it I, an enemy of the king, can fear not? I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan's sake. Mercy for the sake of another. Mercy for Jonathan thy father's sake. Jonathan, Mephibosheth, Jonathan, your father, whom I love, David loved Jonathan, before Mephibosheth was ever born. Before he was ever born. David made that covenant with Jonathan, promising to show mercy to him and his son. Why? For any good thing in Mephibosheth? Oh, for the great love that he had for Jonathan. The mercy and kindness of God shown to his people, shown to sinners. Why? Is it anything good in us? No. No. His love for his son. It's for Christ's sake. Colossians 1.14 says, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin. And what happened? What happened to Mephibosheth? We know that story, don't we? He ate continually at the king's table. not as a servant, not as a guest. How? As a son. Turn with me to one more passage of Scripture. Psalm 106. Psalm 106. Look at verse 8. Now listen, we're to forgive others as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven us. We are forgiven. God's people are forgiven for the sake of another, just like Mephibosheth. We are forgiven for his namesake. Do you have Psalm 106 verse 8? Nevertheless, he saved them for his namesake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. Now look back at verse 7 of Psalm 106. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the Red Sea. Even at the Red Sea, nevertheless, he saved them for His namesake, that He might make His mighty power to be known. For His namesake. For Christ's sake. You know, verse 7 gives us a pretty good picture of us. They remembered not His mercies, The children of Israel, they provoked Him. They provoked God at the sea. Even at the Red Sea. Consider what a miraculous deliverance that was. Almighty God parted the Red Sea. It was a wall of water on both sides. They walked through on dry ground. He delivered them out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Yet they provoked him at the Red Sea. What a foolish people. What a forgetful people. What a provoking people. Even in the midst of Almighty God's deliverance. Yet, these are the people of God. I tell you, that just kind of like punches you. Because that's us and gives me great reassurance at the same time. The God of all grace saves his people. They said this, they said, were there not enough graves in Egypt that you brought us out here to kill us? you've taken us out of Egypt and you're going to let us die in the wilderness." They murmured and complained as they were walking through the Red Sea in the midst of, again, the midst of God's deliverance. In Hebrews this reads this, even in the Red Sea. I don't know that there was a time in which the children of Israel weren't murmuring and complaining against Almighty God. They were seeing something that had never been seen before and still found reason to complain, still found reason to murmur, continued to rebel Yet, for all this, Almighty God still delivered them. Now be honest. Would you forgive them? Would you have delivered them? We just let the waves, if they're not going to be more grateful than this, those waves just crash in on them. Aren't you thankful? Aren't we thankful that his thoughts aren't our thoughts? His ways aren't our ways. Be ye kind one to another. tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. Despite all their sin and all their rebellion, he saved them. Why? Certainly wasn't for their good works, was it? Certainly wasn't for their commitment to do better. Certainly wasn't for anything other than this, because it's spelled out there, for his namesake. We were driving down yesterday, looking at this, thinking about this. Both our boys, Abby and I, both of our boys, are named after men in our family. Men that were very dear to us. Brady, his middle name is Truman. That was my grandpa's middle name. And I probably loved my grandpa more than just about anybody. That name, it means something. And we've told him that from the time he understood it. That name means something. Isaac, our oldest one, his middle name is Dale. Abby's dad. And we love, admire. These names mean something. the believer. Our namesake. Called Christians. Christ. Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ. That means something. That means everything. When God could find no other reason to show mercy to a wicked generation. He found it in his own glory. Israel did not deserve to be saved, yet the Lord saved them. For his namesake. For his own namesake. And listen, he delivered Israel and he completely destroyed the enemy. Why? For Christ's sake. For Christ's sake. I pray he would give me, and I know I need this, I needed to have a forgiving spirit. I pray he'd give me a thankful spirit. Why? Because he saved me for his name's sake. just as he saved everyone of his lost sheep. Consider this. Do you need wonders, Ron? His name, what is his name? His name is wonderful. His name is wonderful. I heard a lady say here a while back, Doris was her Sunday school teacher, and she said, I cannot use the name Wonderful to describe anything. She said, I just can't. Because his name, his name is Wonderful. Do you need counsel and direction? What's his name? He's the counselor. Do you have mighty enemies? What's his name? The mighty God. Do you need a father's pity? His name is the everlasting Father. And as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." Do you need peace? External peace? Internal peace? Eternal peace? His name is the Prince of Peace. His name is Jehovah Rofi, the Lord that heals. He's the Lord, our righteousness. Oh, that we would seek him for his namesake. Do you need defense and protection? Jehovah Nissi, the Lord, our banner. Seek him. Seek the Lord for his namesake. Are you in want, in need of provision? What's his name? Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide. Do you need his presence? Oh, we need his presence, don't we? Continually. Jehovah Shaman. The Lord is there. He said, I'll never leave nor forsake thee. His name is Immanuel. What's that name mean? God with us. Do you need strength? The Lord, he is the strength of Israel. Do you need shelter? He's the city of refuge. Whatever we need, he has a name to satisfy. Wisdom to guide, power to keep, mercy to pity, truth to shield, holiness to sanctify, righteousness to justify, Grace to adorn you and glory to crown you. Trust in Him. Trust in Him who saves for His name's sake. Be ye kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you.