WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:03.680 You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a 2 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.440 couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun in 3 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:16.600 practical ways. Good morning, good morning. We talk the whole 4 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:17.120 night through. 5 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:17.879 Good morning. 6 00:00:18.199 --> 00:00:22.440 Good morning to you and you and you, yes, yes, 7 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:26.519 good morning everybody. We are the Bible guys man. Welcome 8 00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:27.399 you here to our. 9 00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:31.559 New become almost a Wednesday tradition. Yeah, usually coming to 10 00:00:31.559 --> 00:00:32.119 the middle. 11 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:36.880 Of the week, July Wednesday. But everyone's going everyone, I'll 12 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:38.560 throw a curveball. 13 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:40.840 In right sneaking in on Tuesday, although I'm. 14 00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:41.880 Not sure I've ever done on a Monday. 15 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:47.039 Maybe once, Yeah, good Monday, Good Monday. Yeah maybe maybe. 16 00:00:47.240 --> 00:00:49.000 Well, I'll tell you what our Monday intro is rough, 17 00:00:49.119 --> 00:00:51.520 so so maybe the next Monday we can use a 18 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:51.840 good one. 19 00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:54.399 We're just gonna next Monday, we just comes. We're sorry, 20 00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:56.640 We're We're so sorry. 21 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:00.840 Well, hey, Jeff, before we dive into what Jesus would 22 00:01:00.840 --> 00:01:04.040 say on his own podcast, okay, which, by the way, 23 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:06.879 today's comment is, shouldn't you have had mercy? 24 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:11.359 That's gonna be good. Be sure that I should have 25 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:11.879 had mercy? 26 00:01:11.959 --> 00:01:15.280 We should, well, Desira should have had mercy because she 27 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:20.359 instead decided to come up with a a brand new challenge, 28 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:22.280 and this, this to me, is one of the worst 29 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:25.560 things we've worst. Not worse as an idea, it's a 30 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:28.480 great idea, it's just worse an application because I'm not 31 00:01:28.560 --> 00:01:29.400 very good at accents. 32 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:32.000 And I just want to caution you about accents. You're 33 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:34.480 going to get canceled if you choose the wrong accent today. 34 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:36.680 What what why? 35 00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:40.640 Because of appropriation and all this, Like, you better pick something, 36 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:43.319 something that's appropriate for you. Hey, you could do an 37 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:44.200 Italian accent. 38 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:47.920 Wait a minute, you could do any accent appropriately. Okay, 39 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:51.760 I mean it's what you say. Yes, it's what you 40 00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:56.879 say saying. Yeah, be careful, so be careful, careful, careful. 41 00:01:56.920 --> 00:02:00.560 This is called the Accents Challenge. Pick a random accent 42 00:02:00.680 --> 00:02:04.599 or character type and have a conversation with that voice. 43 00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:06.519 Bonus points for staying in character. 44 00:02:06.879 --> 00:02:07.799 I can't do it. 45 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:09.800 I can't do it either. I'm really bad at this. 46 00:02:09.879 --> 00:02:11.280 And by the way, you would think I'm pretty good 47 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:12.919 at it, but I'm really not. 48 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:14.960 You know what one you can do is you can 49 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:15.719 do the Godfather. 50 00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:17.719 The Godfather. 51 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:20.240 Give him an off we can't refuse. 52 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:23.680 Yeah, yeah, yeah, Hey, I'm good at a vampire accent 53 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:31.319 iv you bite. How about that one? 54 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:34.360 I used to be able to do Donald Duck. 55 00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:35.439 We'll try it. 56 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:36.960 I don't know if I can do it anymore. 57 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:39.080 I try it anyway. Donald Duck's terrible. 58 00:02:39.240 --> 00:02:42.280 I can't do Donald Duck. I can't do it. What 59 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:42.800 other one? 60 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:48.400 So my brother Jim, he spends he goes the Watermark 61 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:50.680 Church in Texas and he has a ministry with those 62 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:54.479 who come from India. Right, so so he always uh 63 00:02:54.759 --> 00:02:57.280 stands at the door and he welcomes people in the 64 00:02:57.360 --> 00:03:00.680 Indian accent. So he says, he said, he's uh. She 65 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:02.240 says to me all the time on the phone, and 66 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:04.639 he goes, welcome to my home. Can I help you please? 67 00:03:05.719 --> 00:03:07.080 So there's one. 68 00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:09.680 Yeah, Yeah, I do a lot of work in India, 69 00:03:09.719 --> 00:03:14.319 and uh, the Indian accent tickles me. The English Indian 70 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:18.159 accent just tickles me so funny. It's great when I 71 00:03:18.199 --> 00:03:20.800 think my my accent is funny. Like if I if 72 00:03:20.840 --> 00:03:23.120 I say a word that they'll repeat my word over 73 00:03:23.159 --> 00:03:25.319 and over again, yeah and try to sound and then 74 00:03:25.319 --> 00:03:27.639 they always sound like John Wayne. Yeah when they're trying 75 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:34.479 to when they're trying to copy you American accent, Wayne Partner. 76 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:39.000 I'm not very good, but I've always loved like Scotty 77 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:42.159 from from Star Trek. He's like, I've given her all, 78 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:43.240 she's got captain. 79 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:45.599 Yeah there, you know you're good at When he says 80 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:47.879 he's copies of movie phrases you got. 81 00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:55.120 He's like, he's like, we are Vikings, We're strong and 82 00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:58.319 true and brave. 83 00:03:59.159 --> 00:04:04.680 Okay, I'm gonna to do this. Suggest great movie accent. 84 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:13.560 Uh huh yeah yeah, suggest great movie lines. I don't 85 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:18.160 really know, amazing accents. Let's do that and see what 86 00:04:18.199 --> 00:04:21.439 it says. Okay, here we go. What's it going to 87 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:23.079 read it for you? No? No, no, you're gonna have 88 00:04:23.079 --> 00:04:23.720 to say him. 89 00:04:24.439 --> 00:04:26.319 Oh okay, let me see. 90 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:28.040 Uh oh yeah. 91 00:04:28.040 --> 00:04:31.600 Oh the first one just is Bond, James Bond. 92 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:34.920 And that's the Sean Connery James Bond. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 93 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:36.759 how about I'll be back. 94 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:40.480 Oh here's one, there's one. This is This is a 95 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:46.079 next this would be a Cuban Cuban accent, which is Spanish. Right, 96 00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:49.240 say hello to my little friend. 97 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:52.879 Right, those are awesome. 98 00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:58.920 Uh well, I we want to say that one. Uh okay, 99 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:02.839 well this is mel Gibson. That's Scottish. They may take 100 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:04.079 our lives. 101 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:08.439 But they'll never take our freedom. 102 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:12.639 Oh, this is a New York accent, Robert Daniel, you're 103 00:05:12.680 --> 00:05:15.319 talking to me, You talking to me? 104 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:17.079 There you go, Houston, we. 105 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:19.079 Have a problem. That's actually not even in the movie. 106 00:05:19.639 --> 00:05:22.040 It's in the movie, but it's actually wasn't a real quote. 107 00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:26.120 By the way, Oh, the Princess Bride inconceivable. 108 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:29.879 He's got the list though, untheevable and conceivable. There there 109 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:30.120 you go. 110 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:32.560 I do not think that means what do you think 111 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:32.959 it means? 112 00:05:34.399 --> 00:05:37.199 My name is Yeah, yeah, that's right. 113 00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:38.959 You give my father but to die. 114 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:41.519 There you go. This was awesome. Yeah, that's all we 115 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:45.560 needed to do. Well, so we took her suggestion, yes, 116 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:47.519 and made it so much better. 117 00:05:47.720 --> 00:05:50.759 Hey, by the way, did you did you notice listeners 118 00:05:50.759 --> 00:05:52.480 that Jeff has not given one? 119 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:54.680 I said, my name is in Nego Montoya. 120 00:05:55.240 --> 00:05:57.879 Just now that little mumble. All right, say it again. 121 00:05:57.920 --> 00:05:59.879 That's the best one I have. My name is in 122 00:06:00.040 --> 00:06:06.560 Lego Montoya. That was not for that accent at all, 123 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:09.079 Sure was it was. It was the standard America. 124 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:15.360 My name is Montoria, you killed my father, prepared to die? 125 00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:19.160 That was not sure. 126 00:06:19.279 --> 00:06:21.560 That was a Michigan accent. That's a that's the standard 127 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:23.439 American accent. That's what they say. Okay, do you know that, 128 00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:26.839 right is the standard. We're coming. 129 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:29.279 We're coming to the end of our time for the segment, 130 00:06:29.319 --> 00:06:32.240 but I want you to do at least something because 131 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:35.160 you're not technically done. I just did know you didn't 132 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:37.560 you said my name is Montoya. 133 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:45.000 Uh but that's all folks, porky pig. 134 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:50.000 Okay, that's that's more of an invitation than than it is. 135 00:06:50.040 --> 00:06:50.439 An accent. 136 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:51.199 That's all I got. 137 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:54.439 But okay, that's funny. See, I think that if you 138 00:06:54.600 --> 00:06:57.319 used to do Donald Duck, well, you could probably do it, 139 00:06:58.360 --> 00:06:59.079 said Donald Duck. 140 00:06:59.160 --> 00:07:01.160 Yeah, I don't think I can. Huh, I don't think 141 00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:04.120 I can. Yeah, that's it. That's that's about it for 142 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:07.800 me too. All right, that's funny stuff. I loved it, Chris, 143 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:10.639 thank you. I loved it. Yeah. I think we should 144 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:12.800 do that every few weeks, but not not include me 145 00:07:12.839 --> 00:07:14.959 in it. Just everything. 146 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:17.160 We've run out of everything that I can do, so 147 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:20.360 we shouldn't come back to that segment. Let that segment die. 148 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:22.160 Let it die well. 149 00:07:22.199 --> 00:07:25.160 I mean, I don't have any any other thing other 150 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:27.000 than like I mean, if you want me to do 151 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:28.519 movie quotes, you. 152 00:07:28.519 --> 00:07:30.600 Can do Jack Nicholson, h. 153 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:37.000 Johnny, you do terminator a baby? 154 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:41.439 Yeah, there's a lot of them. Okay. 155 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:46.360 Anyways, all right, so hey we're moving on. And speaking 156 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:49.279 of moving on, you know what you want to know? 157 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:50.639 Who else moved on? 158 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:54.639 The king with his. 159 00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:58.319 Judgment from his servants. 160 00:07:58.480 --> 00:07:59.399 He's just moving on. 161 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:00.680 He's just moving on. 162 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:05.000 Okay, that's what he's doing. So today's statement is shouldn't 163 00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:07.199 you have had mercy? Yes, that's what Jesus. 164 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:10.079 And it's a story about a king who forgives a servant, 165 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:11.360 who doesn't forgive his servant. 166 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:13.800 So the series that we're in on the podcast is 167 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:15.800 what if Jesus had a podcast? Yes, And so we're 168 00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:19.079 just taking famous statements that Jesus made and we're just 169 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:20.879 running through them for the next six weeks or so. 170 00:08:21.319 --> 00:08:24.399 And the six weeks yeah, yeah, or however long it lasts, 171 00:08:24.399 --> 00:08:28.000 I don't know, but yeah. So here we are in 172 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:32.159 Matthew chapter eighteen, and I think Matthew app chapter eighteen. 173 00:08:32.600 --> 00:08:35.919 The verses just before this are incredibly important for Christians 174 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:38.919 and coming out of and he's dealing with in those 175 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:44.159 verses from about Matthew eighteen fifteen through Matthew eighteen nineteen, 176 00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:48.639 He teaches how to treat believers that you're having trouble 177 00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:51.200 with if somebody offends you something like that, or if 178 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:53.759 you offend somebody else, how do you make peace between 179 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:57.720 two Christians? Right? Then he pivots, he says. Then Peter 180 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:00.279 came to him and asked the Lord, how often should 181 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:02.080 I forgive someone who sins against me? This is in 182 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:06.480 verse twenty one seven times. Should I forgive people seven 183 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:10.039 times if they sin against me? No, not seven times, 184 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:14.120 Jesus replied, but seventy times seven. Therefore, the Kingdom of 185 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:16.000 Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to 186 00:09:16.039 --> 00:09:19.559 bring his accounts up to date with servants who had 187 00:09:19.559 --> 00:09:22.080 borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his 188 00:09:22.120 --> 00:09:24.120 debtors was brought in, who had owed him millions of 189 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:26.879 dollars and he couldn't pay, so his master ordered that 190 00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:29.240 he'd be sold, along with his wife, his children, everything 191 00:09:29.240 --> 00:09:31.919 he owned to pay the debt. But the man fell 192 00:09:31.960 --> 00:09:34.279 down before his master and begged him, please be patient 193 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:36.440 with me, and I will pay it all. Then his 194 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:38.759 master was filled with pity for him, and he released 195 00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:41.320 him and forgave his debt. But when the man left, 196 00:09:41.320 --> 00:09:42.960 the king he went to a fellow servant who owed 197 00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:45.240 him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the 198 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:48.519 throat and demanded instant payment. His fellow servant fell down 199 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:50.519 before him and begged for a little more time. Be 200 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:52.480 patient with me, and I will pay it, he pleaded, 201 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:55.720 But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested 202 00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:57.399 and put in prison until the debt could be paid 203 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:00.399 in full. When some of the other servants saw this, 204 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:02.519 they were very upset. They went to the king and 205 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:04.240 told him everything that had happened. And then the King 206 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:06.440 called in the man he had forgiven and said, you, 207 00:10:06.639 --> 00:10:09.600 evil servant, I forgave you that tremendous debt because you 208 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:12.519 pleaded with me. Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, 209 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:14.840 just as I had on mercy on you? And then 210 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:16.679 the angry king sent the man to prison to be 211 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:19.440 tortured until he had paid his entire debt. That's what 212 00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:21.320 my heavenly father will do to you if you refuse 213 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:23.279 to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart. 214 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:26.840 Oooh, yeah, there's a what there's a warning. 215 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:28.840 I don't like that one. Let's go find another one. 216 00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:30.639 Lets we don't like it. 217 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:33.960 Yeah, And the question is what does that mean, right, Like, 218 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.720 what does that mean he'll do that to us? Yeah, 219 00:10:36.919 --> 00:10:41.039 if we don't forgive others, so on surface on the 220 00:10:41.080 --> 00:10:43.639 surface level, people might say, well, that means he's not 221 00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:45.080 going to forgive you of your sins and get you 222 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:49.279 into heaven, right right, Because if you didn't forgive somebody else, 223 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:51.559 then he's not going to forgive you. So if you 224 00:10:51.559 --> 00:10:53.279 have unforgiveness in your heart, that means you can't go 225 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:53.639 to heaven. 226 00:10:53.840 --> 00:10:56.200 I think it's the torture side of things that this 227 00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:58.879 isn't a heaven and hell thing, right, It's just you're 228 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:01.919 going to be tortured in your life, right right mister, which, 229 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:03.480 by the way, can I tell a story? Of course, 230 00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:05.600 let me tell a story along these nights. So I'm 231 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:07.799 not gonna say any names, but I'm currently. 232 00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:10.799 To quote iron Man. I will allow it. 233 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:14.320 You will allow it. Thank you, thank you. I'm one 234 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:18.519 of my roles in the global work that I work with. 235 00:11:19.480 --> 00:11:22.000 Sometimes I kind of get put into a diplomacy kind 236 00:11:22.039 --> 00:11:23.919 of a role where I'm trying to You can imagine 237 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:27.120 when you're working with hundreds of thousands of people, even 238 00:11:27.159 --> 00:11:30.000 though they're good people. All of them are sinners. All 239 00:11:30.039 --> 00:11:33.320 of us are sinners. Sure, so tension happens, natural tension happens. 240 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:34.679 So every once in a while, one of my jobs 241 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:37.799 is to try to make peace between good people that 242 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:43.879 are just having troubles. So there's a situation that I 243 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:47.159 have worked with in the past where a guy got 244 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:51.840 offended and I think, as I've dug into it, rightfully, 245 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:56.399 so perhaps and the guy he was offended by was 246 00:11:56.559 --> 00:12:00.600 also rightly offended. Then it begins to ask, you know, 247 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:03.360 how it is, I'm offended by something you said, and 248 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:05.559 then you're offended by my reaction, and so now we're 249 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:08.200 both offended, and then it just escalates. Next thing, you know, 250 00:12:08.440 --> 00:12:10.240 I take another dig at you, you take a dig 251 00:12:10.279 --> 00:12:12.279 at me. It goes back and forth. Next thing you know, 252 00:12:12.600 --> 00:12:14.840 I'm talking to my friends, You're talking to your friends, 253 00:12:14.840 --> 00:12:18.679 and it just spreads. Yeah, the Book of Proverbs says, 254 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:20.159 without wood, the fire goes out. 255 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:22.480 I think you've just described most relationships. 256 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:25.679 Yeah, right, right, right. The Bible says without wood, the 257 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:28.279 fire goes out. And it's the same way with gossip, right, 258 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:31.399 And so we just keep throwing fuel on the fire 259 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:33.320 and it just keeps getting so it just kept getting 260 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:35.080 worse and worse worse. Next thing, you know, these two 261 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:39.080 guys are pretty famous, and both of their reputations are 262 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:42.639 being drug through about one worse than the other, the 263 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:45.320 guy who refused to let it go. One guy tried 264 00:12:45.320 --> 00:12:47.080 to let it go, he tried to walk away from it, 265 00:12:47.240 --> 00:12:49.799 kept getting pulled back into it. The other guy refused 266 00:12:49.799 --> 00:12:52.080 to let it go, and bitterness began to take over 267 00:12:52.120 --> 00:13:00.720 his life, and he literally lost everything everything in his life. 268 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:03.840 It's like his wife and his kids. His wife left. 269 00:13:04.759 --> 00:13:07.200 Only one of his kids will talk to him. He's 270 00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:11.440 lost his job, he's lost everything. I was sitting talking 271 00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:13.720 with him and he told me, he said, the only 272 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:17.519 thing I have is my books. Wow. And so when 273 00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:20.399 I was talking about would you sit down, would you 274 00:13:20.440 --> 00:13:24.039 sit down and have a conversation or reconciliation, we begin 275 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:26.679 talking and I'm crying because I see he's so hurt, 276 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:30.120 he's just broken hearted. I talked about forgiveness in my 277 00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:32.879 life and different things, and that's where freedom comes from. 278 00:13:33.480 --> 00:13:36.200 And I took him through Matthew eighteen. The verses rate 279 00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:39.320 before this, Jesus says, if somebody offends you go to 280 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:41.399 them privately, and if you can't then take two or 281 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:43.440 three people with you as witnesses and do it, and 282 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:44.559 then if not, then you have to take it to 283 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:46.759 the whole church, right. And I said, why don't we go, 284 00:13:46.919 --> 00:13:49.000 and would you go with me and we'll sit down 285 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:50.879 with these people make peace, because I said, I've already 286 00:13:50.919 --> 00:13:55.240 talked to the other one and he wants peace. So 287 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:59.360 he finally he's like, yes, I'll do that. I'll go 288 00:13:59.399 --> 00:14:01.799 and work. And I said, what's driving you to it? 289 00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:03.919 I said, because you used to say you wanted me 290 00:14:03.960 --> 00:14:07.759 to fire this other person. And he said, my life 291 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:10.519 is so broken. I don't even want my enemies to 292 00:14:10.559 --> 00:14:15.600 have to live my life. Right. He said, I would 293 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:19.519 rather lay down this fight and make peace than to 294 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:22.000 see anybody else live the life I'm living these last 295 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:25.159 three years. And man, it broke my heart. I started 296 00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:28.879 crying with him. We prayed together. It was amazing. This 297 00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:33.639 is the torture I think God's saying. This guy refused 298 00:14:33.799 --> 00:14:36.519 to let it come to an end. He refused it, 299 00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:38.919 and so you know what's happened. He literally tore his 300 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:42.960 life down. He tore it down, and he's just suffering. 301 00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:46.720 And his only path back is the path down which 302 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:49.440 he came, He's got to come back to this personal 303 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:53.879 connection this forgiveness. And forgiveness is not saying what you 304 00:14:53.919 --> 00:14:56.080 did to me doesn't matter. Forgiveness is saying I no 305 00:14:56.159 --> 00:14:59.080 longer have to prosecute it. The fact that he needed 306 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:02.000 to get revenge is what made him tear down his 307 00:15:02.039 --> 00:15:05.200 own life right right, And that's what I believe this 308 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:07.600 application is. This is not a heaven and hell thing. 309 00:15:08.039 --> 00:15:09.879 If you have a hard time for giving somebody else, 310 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:11.639 God's not going to take you to heaven. That's not 311 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:13.840 what he's saying. But he is saying you are going 312 00:15:13.919 --> 00:15:17.879 to be tortured in your life by your lack of forgiveness. 313 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:21.080 It's going to ruin your life, not the other person's. 314 00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:22.799 Matter of fact, the other guy has gone on to 315 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:30.120 extreme success. And you know they were almost equals, and 316 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:31.919 it's not that one took advantage of the other. They 317 00:15:32.440 --> 00:15:34.879 just refused to quit fighting. Finally, the one guy did 318 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:38.120 kind of quit fighting, but he kept throwing fuel on 319 00:15:38.120 --> 00:15:39.840 the fire with a little bit of gossip, and the 320 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:41.919 other one kept trying to ruin the other guy's life. 321 00:15:42.360 --> 00:15:44.240 And he's the one that's miserable right now. That's what 322 00:15:44.279 --> 00:15:46.320 I believe Jesus is talking about there. Wow. 323 00:15:47.919 --> 00:15:51.879 You know, we always promote good study Bibles, and a 324 00:15:51.879 --> 00:15:55.279 lot of times they'll have you know, these really great 325 00:15:55.320 --> 00:15:58.440 pieces of information on the side margins. And so it 326 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:04.360 says what was the cultural rationale behind debtors' prisons? Oh, 327 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:07.360 and it says the imprisonment of debtors served both as 328 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:10.960 a punishment for dishonesty and a warning to others. Sometimes 329 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:15.159 debtors performed forced labor to replay their creditors, as found 330 00:16:15.159 --> 00:16:18.000 in Second King Chapter four. Other times they were thrown 331 00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:22.240 into prison and their property confiscated. The threat of imprisonment 332 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:26.080 was also used to compel debtors to acknowledge openly any 333 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:29.120 hidden property that they possessed, so this would be used 334 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:32.840 to pay off their debts. So that's you know, that's 335 00:16:32.840 --> 00:16:34.679 pretty motivating. 336 00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:38.120 Yeah. And you know what, nobody has the right to borrow. 337 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:42.639 There's no automatic right to borrow, but there are there 338 00:16:42.679 --> 00:16:47.480 were in that day severe consequences to borrowing and not 339 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:51.879 keeping your commitments right. And they were hoping you'd sell 340 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:53.840 off your land. They were hoping you'd sell off your 341 00:16:53.840 --> 00:16:56.720 family's resources to pay it. If not, then they're going 342 00:16:56.799 --> 00:16:59.919 to keep tightening the screws until the family pays it off, right, 343 00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:02.440 that's what would happen, or you'd have to work it 344 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:03.200 off over years. 345 00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:07.079 Yeah, and and so this is a really great thing. 346 00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:10.039 I remember one of my family members called me and 347 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:13.839 said to me, I'm having a hard time forgiving you know, 348 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:17.319 this other person in my family, and I'm very close 349 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:19.920 to both of them and U. And one of the 350 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:23.160 things that I said is, well, do you do you 351 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:27.640 think that you're not perfect? Like in this interaction that 352 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:30.720 you've had, you did wrong things? Also, you know, don't 353 00:17:30.759 --> 00:17:33.359 you think that you can forgive them? Because yeah, you're right. 354 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:36.160 He's like, I can't believe this person did that. I 355 00:17:36.200 --> 00:17:38.119 would never do that. And I said, you're right, you 356 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:41.680 would never do that. But guess what that person would 357 00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:42.799 never do what you did. 358 00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:45.119 What you did. That's that's exactly. We had the same conversation. 359 00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:47.359 And I was like, I was like, so, so it's like, 360 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:51.079 so we try to measure ourselves by ourselves and compare 361 00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:54.480 ourselves among ourselves. The Bible says that's not wise forris Corinthians. 362 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:57.200 So it's it's it's one of those things where and 363 00:17:57.440 --> 00:17:59.200 they says, oh, I just can't believe I would never 364 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:01.720 do that. I'm like, you're right. I said, you're strong 365 00:18:01.720 --> 00:18:03.920 in this area and you would never do that, but 366 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:06.880 you did do this. And so later on, you know, 367 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:08.640 we get down with the conversation and I got a 368 00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:11.480 phone call the next day and he called me up 369 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:13.319 and said, you're right. He goes. I got on my 370 00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:16.759 knees at night and said, you're right. I didn't realize 371 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:19.759 I had just as much in my life to forgive for. 372 00:18:20.279 --> 00:18:22.319 And he said, so I just got on my knees 373 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:24.039 and said, God, forgive me for doing this. I should 374 00:18:24.039 --> 00:18:25.920 have done it. And that was forty years ago. 375 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:28.079 Well, one of these guys in my story, you know, 376 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:32.359 the one, he's in prison. He's sitting in a prison 377 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:34.839 he made, he built it right, and he's miserable, and 378 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:38.319 he wants out. And finally, now that pain he's paid 379 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:41.000 the price so long. Now he wants out. He's willing 380 00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:42.720 to do whatever it takes to get out of this, 381 00:18:42.720 --> 00:18:46.160 this prison he's created. The other guy, though, I talked 382 00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:47.880 with him and he had a little bit of trouble 383 00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:52.480 with this, and I said, God expects us to forgive 384 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:56.920 because we've been forgiven. Now, if God hasn't forgiven you 385 00:18:57.000 --> 00:18:59.440 for more than what this guy's offense is against you. 386 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:02.920 Then hey, I think maybe God lets you off the hook. Yeah, 387 00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:05.559 you're superior in every way. And he just got a 388 00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:07.079 big smile in his face. He said, of course, I've 389 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:09.720 been forgiven for far more than this. I said, then 390 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:12.119 that's why Jesus said, then shouldn't you also forgive? 391 00:19:12.599 --> 00:19:12.759 Right? 392 00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:17.000 Right? Shouldn't you also forgive? The measurement is not by 393 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:19.680 whether we would have done a thing. The measurement is 394 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:22.359 by whether or not God has already forgiven us, because 395 00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:24.880 He's forgiven us for far more than what anybody has 396 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:28.519 offended us for right, at least not an accumulative level, 397 00:19:28.759 --> 00:19:32.119 if not by in a severity level. Right. And so 398 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:35.799 I just I think that maybe the greatest thing that 399 00:19:35.880 --> 00:19:39.720 our listeners can hear today is if you that bitterness 400 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:43.319 will always grow. The Bible calls it a rude of bitterness? 401 00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:45.319