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Trespass

Matthew 6:14,  “uFor if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 wBut if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” [1]

I.   If

     A. Ye

     B. Cancel

II. Then

     A. He

     B. Cancels

III. Else

     A. Not

     B. Canceled

Introduction:  Last Sunday we considered accountability.  King David was a popular figure yet he sometimes was misunderstood for his outlook of who he felt accountable to.  In all the things that he did David knew that when he sinned it was against God.  Therefore he was accountable to God for the sins he committed.  David knew that only God can forgive in the sense of ultimate forgiveness from sin.  All that we do when we seek everything else first is to count God last.  We are responsible for the relationship that God paid such a high price for.  Jesus felt the pain that should have been our pain and there were many facets to that pain.

When we do take things upon ourselves that rightfully belong to some other person we are indebted to that person to make amends for infringing on what is theirs.  When we decide that we must take on bringing someone to a place that they have not decided for themselves, that is a trespass.  Signs say “No Trespassing” should be unnecessary if we know our boundaries.

Is it up to me to tell you where your boundaries are?  No!  That is a matter between you and your conscience unless something or someone else is guiding you.  Lately it has become more apparent that stepping on other peoples’ lines and toes is what I have been doing for a long time.  Now as those names come back to me God has given me the grace to go back to see either the damage that I did or the mercy that God had for me in the many moments when I took from others what was not mine to take.  Sometimes it was me that I took away; but I promised God that I was His.  So who did I really break my promise to?

At the end of this message this morning we will observe Communion; a representation of The Lord’s Supper.  Today we will examine responsibilities.  As we do that let us examine our responsibilities to each other as we understand the great responsibility that Jesus had to take our sins to that cross.  We cannot bear the sins of others nor can we forgive those sins.  We can only forgive or cancel the debt of someone trespassing on our turf.  We must also be ready to turn those things back to them until they have been led to turn over their own trespasses.  If we can’t and won’t do that then we will carry the guilt of trespassing against God.

Most of these sermon outlines have a grammatical pattern.  This particular outline is one that is a statement of logic that I wrote into control programs thousands of times through my time working with control systems.  If this then that or else that happens.  The text that we will examine today is logical.

If you divest others of those things that they have done against you then you God will also forgive you.  If you decide to not cancel someone else for stomping on what is rightfully yours then God will decide not to forgive you that debt which you owe to Him.

It sounds convoluted until we get back to the truth of Who He is and Whose we are.  This afternoon after service we will meet in the fellowship hall with whoever decides.  There will be no trespassers.  Let us enjoy the things that God has given us and let us enjoy each other.

Scripture:  The focal scripture today is Matthew 6:14-15.  Please stand if you’re able.

Prayer:  Let us pray.  Be seated.

Message:  For the past few weeks we have discussed responsibilities.  We started with David’s three noble men and how devoted they were to him.  No matter what David wanted those three put themselves in harm’s way to satisfy their leader.  David to them was their greatest responsibility and they were focused on satisfying him.

David seemed to do an outrageous thing when he poured out what they went to so much trouble to get him.  David knew that he did not deserve the great sacrifice that they did for him.  He poured out to God that which God had poured out to him.  Then the three were more devoted to David than before.  It is a lesson that we are still learning today.  Only God is worthy.

Next we heard from Jesus after the resurrection as He breathed the Spirit into His disciples.  With that breath came the power to remit or loose the sins of others so that the effects of hanging onto that which is not yours will not affect your ability to love no matter what someone else decides.  If you decide to let that burden go then it will be gone both here and in heaven.  If you decide to retain that which is not yours then it will be retained both here in this life and in heaven.  That is power and it is up to the born again Christian to decide what to do.  Jesus gave us that power.

Next we returned to David’s Psalm 51 where he made the amazing truth known; against God and God only have I sinned.  Only God can forgive sin.  When we sin no matter what the other consequences might be, He alone is the only one who can forgive sin.  When we break one of the things that God says will hurt our relationship with Him; that is against God.

Today we are talking about trespassing.  If someone walks across the line of your property uninvited then they are a trespasser.  If you walk across the boundary to a place that is not yours so that someone else is affected by your action that is a trespass.  If you attempt to decide for someone else what is right for them or wrong for them that is a trespass.  You have violated their sovereign right to choose for themselves.

So how does it feel when someone does that to you?  Are you ready to cancel the debt?  If someone uses something of yours without permission they owe you something.  Are you due that or not?  The word forgive here is a little different than forgiveness of sin which is against God.  Here you are forgiving a debt or a trespass.

So who is responsible for cancelling a trespass?  The text says ye are.  There is no he and there is no she; it says ye.  You are responsible.  It is your stuff so only you can forgive or cancel the debt once and for all.  If you do that then the next thing is possible.  If you don’t then the logic kicks back to the steps above until either you cancel the debt or you don’t and then the rest is undone in a do-loop.

But if you do, then He, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  Forgive you of what; your debt against Him or your debt against others?  It doesn’t really say.  It only says that your Father will also forgive you.  Now your debt is cancelled.

There is a difference between trespassing and sinning against God but here the idea is the same.  If you expect to be forgiven from sin then you must be willing to forgive someone else when they have trespassed against you.  You cancel and then He cancels.

Or else you don’t and then neither does God cancels your debt.  It is easy really.  You sin against God.  You trespass against others.  If you cancel then God cancels and when He cancels it is cancelled because there is no time limit with God.

Prayer:

Invitation:  We come now to a time of decision.  Will you cancel the trespass of that one that is in your heart and on your mind right now?  We are about to commemorate what the disciples observed at the last supper with Jesus before He went to the cross.  There they were examining themselves about the things that they had heard and seen.  One left to turn against Jesus.  That was the biggest trespass when Judas Iscariot traded what was not his for something that he later threw away.  He didn’t offer the thirty pieces up to God, he simply threw them away and then he threw himself away.

The others there also trespassed because they were bought with a price and decided to take away that which Jesus should have been able to count on.  They had once decided to follow Jesus and now they had decided to refuse that call for a time.

What did Jesus do with His first cry from the cross?  What was His first order of business?  Father forgive them for they know not what they do.  How can we do less?

Today let us again examine ourselves.  Are we fit to partake in communion?  There is only One who was is and always shall be yet He loves us so much that He includes us and He doesn’t count us as trespassers.  That is mercy to not be given what we deserve.  That is grace to be given all that He has available for us.  Are you ready?

u Mark 11:25, 26. Eph. 4:32. Col. 3:13.
w See James 2:13.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mt 6:14–15). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.