DEALING WITH DIRTY FEET
Matthew 6:12
“…and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.”
JUDICIAL FORGIVENESS
But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48 NLT
“No one is righteous—not even one.” Romans 3:10 NLT
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23 NLT
Sin is your ultimate problem!
Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin?
Can a leopard take away its spots?
Neither can you start doing good,
for you have always done evil. Jeremiah 13:23 NLT
You can’t fix the problem of sin!
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 NLT
Sin is a problem that you can’t fix, but Jesus can!
For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. Romans 5:16 NLT
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1-2 NLT
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” John 5:24 NLT
When you surrender your life over to Jesus (when you confess and repent of your sin) Jesus forgives your sin! This is called “judicial forgiveness”.
At the moment you give your life to Jesus…
- You received the Holy Spirit.
- Your name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
- You no longer faced the wrath and judgement of God.
- You became a child of God.
This is called “judicial forgiveness”.
PARENTAL FORGIVENESS
“Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, 12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. (this is parental forgiveness) 13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. 14 If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:9-15 NLT
When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” 8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” 9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” 10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” John 13:6-10 NLT
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:10-12 NIV
Parental forgiveness is about experiencing the joy of the Lord! And you can’t experience the joy of the Lord if your feet are dirty!
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. I John 1:8-9 NLT
And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:30-32 NLT
When you grieve the Holy Spirit (when your feet get dirty) it robs you of your joy! And the only way to get the joy back is through “parental forgiveness”.
Give us today the food we need…and forgive us our sins (wash our feet) as we have forgiven those who sin against us. (this is parental forgiveness) Matthew 6:12 NLT
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalms 23:6 ESV
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15 NLT
(He’s not talking about “judicial forgiveness” He’s talking about “parental forgiveness”. In other words, if He doesn’t clean your feet, you won’t have “parental forgiveness”.)
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. Matthew 18:21-27 NLT
“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. 29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
31“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” Matthew 18:28-35 NLT
Because God is holy and just, He is always angry at sin, including the sins of His children
He said, “My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” Hebrews 12:5-6 NLT