Judge Yourself, Pray With A Burden, Forgive / Sermon Series: To Save That Which Was Lost - Part 4 (Santosh Poonen)

Matthew 18:11-22 When we are integrated into the Body of Christ, we learn how to have the foundation -- i.e., forgiving love -- as well as the superstructure built on top of it -- i.e., helping the one in sin. Whether you have only a building and no foundation, or only a foundation and no building, in either case, the storms will wreak havoc in your life. If your "brother" -- i.e., your husband/wife, children, or a brother/sister in the local church -- sins against you: 1. Judge yourself first (Galatians 6:3-5). Before you flare up at the other's fault, take time to count ten -- ten of your own. 2. Pray with a burden (Galatians 6:2). You can only truly be of help to someone if you have spent time interceding on their behalf in prayer. 3. Forgive (Mark 11:25-26; Matthew 18:21-22). When you pray, forgive, because if you do not forgive others, God will not forgive you. If you only have to forgive 7 times in a day, you may be able to do that with extreme human patience. But, if you want to forgive 490 times a day, as Jesus commanded -- that's every 2 minutes -- you will need God to give you His Divine Nature which IS forgiving. 4. Dialog privately and gently (Galatians 6:1; Matthew 18:15). Be gentle, like a stream, when you approach the one in sin. Remember that you are trying to win him/her, not the argument!