It is necessary that we forgive one another, for Jesus said that if we don’t forgive then our heavenly Father will not forgive either. If we forgive others, God will forgive us in the same proportion. Derek then brings in the parable of the unforgiving servant to prove this point. Doesn’t it pay to forgive others of their debt to us?

Reconciliation with God also brings reconciliation with our fellow man. In Colossians Paul assures us that now there is neither slave nor free, circumcised or uncircumcised, or barbarian, but Christ is all, and is in all. All barriers have been done away with in the new creation in Jesus.

Scripture tells us that the Lord laid upon Jesus the iniquity of us all. What type of sin? Murder? Fornication? Maybe not. But we all have turned to our own way—we have been self-pleasers, living by our own standards. We need God’s forgiveness. And once forgiven, God tells us they are remembered no more.

Derek points out in his message today we should consider that these words proceed out of forgiveness: reconciliation, peace, harmony, understanding. How badly our world needs these concepts. Stay tuned throughout this week to see how Derek makes his points through the Scriptures

Jesus tells us the story about the son who turned his back on his father and home, took his inheritance, left his home and went out to waste it all. But did he find happiness and fulfillment? Quite the opposite. But repentance brought him back to his father’s loving arms.

God tells “all people everywhere to repent.” If that’s so, we need to listen instead of arguing with God. We need to repent of such “blind spots” as unforgiveness, which God calls “wickedness.” Another blind spot could be called sins of omission—those acts we know are the right things to do, yet have failed to accomplish.

Repentance must come first—before forgiveness of sins, before believing the good news of the gospel, and before water baptism. In fact, God commands all people everywhere to repent. Repentance is an inward decision followed by an outward change of life.

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray”—that’s why we all need to repent. We did not all commit murder or become drunk or committed adultery. But one thing we have in common: we all have gone our own way. For this we need to repent.

Repentance is an experience which we cannot get around and for which there is no substitute. And yet for all that, it’s an experience which is not understood by most people today and which is seldom explained by most preachers. Listen to Derek’s explanation today.

The strongest leaders are those who lead by example. Consider others as better than yourself. Be subject to one another. Put on the apron of humility. Using the examples of Abraham and Joshua, Derek provides the reason why—those who humble themselves receive the promised inheritance.