Forgive!

June 5, 2023 Monday Message:

Matthew 18:21-22 NLT: “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’

‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’”

As we pray the Lord’s prayer, we ask God to, “Forgive us our trespasses AS we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” Jesus taught us those words. Jesus and his Father are big on forgiveness! They have pardoned the egregious sins of those who repent, return and claim Jesus as their Savior. And we are told to do what Jesus did.

If you do the math, Jesus is advocating forgiveness 490 times, but let’s look into that. It’s too large a number to keep track of in our heads, and if we wrote it all down, we might start to think that we’re Mr. or Mrs. Wonderful because we’re so forgiving, and that opens up another set of problems. Think about it – when the ‘humble’ is not present, we could sin while offering forgiveness to others!

“Let go and let God!” When someone asks for forgiveness, we are to forgive and close the door on the matter. Our responsibility in this exchange has ended.

If we simply forgive our brothers and sisters, the rest is up to God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Jesus vs the World!

For Tuesday, May 30, 2023:

Matthew 18:7 NLT, Jesus speaking: “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.”

Jesus simplified being a believer. Group A: Christian believers follow the teachings of Jesus and his Father in heaven. Group B: The “world,” people living in sin and tempting others to sin.

There are only two groups. On judgement day, Jesus will place everyone in the proper group, just like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Therefore if someone sins against us, we don’t need to seek revenge. We can let go and let God. At the end times, the world’s judge will settle all matters.

Believers line up with the other sheep following Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Winning the Battle

For Tuesday, September 22, 2020. 

1 John 5:5 NLT: “Who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”

If you are born again, you are a child of God. And the idea that anything born of God could be defeated by the world seemed strange to the Apostle John, and it should seem strange to us. The key is not only a one-time “come-to-the-altar-and-get-saved” faith, but a consistent faith, an ongoing trust and reliance on Jesus the Christ. 

With the current world health crisis, civil disobedience and political division, it can sometimes feel like the world is out to get you. But Jesus said, “I have overcome the world!” So a better solution is to “Let go and let God!” The Bible says that those who place their faith and trust in Jesus will be the winners in this life, and in the next life, and that gives us a lot of hope!

Blessings and safety to all, 

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406