Does Jesus Mean It When He Says: ''Whose Soever Sins Ye Remit, They are Remitted ...''?

The speaker discusses the authority given to the disciples by Jesus to forgive or retain sins. They explain that this authority is based on the disciples' faithful proclamation of the gospel and their role in extending God's forgiveness to those who respond in faith. The speaker emphasizes that this authority is not limited to the disciples but extends to the entire church. They also draw parallels between the disciples' authority and the project manager's provision of resources for a successful expedition. The message concludes with the assurance that Jesus truly means what he says and that the disciples' actions of forgiving and retaining sins are an extension of God's actions in heaven. 🎵 Music 🎵 Welcome to our weekly exhortation. 🎵 Music 🎵 Thank you for joining me. 🎵 Music 🎵 I hope you enjoy your day. 🎵 Music 🎵 My name is Gila Miona. 🎵 Music 🎵 Servant of God. Servant of Jesus Christ. 🎵 Music 🎵 Does Jesus mean it? When he says, ''Hus sova sin yirimit'' Do you agree with that? 🎵 Music 🎵 In order to carry out an expedition aimed at identifying and saving animal breed at the risk of extinction, the project manager of a research institute did not skimp on resources. He has provided his employees with everything necessary for the success of this expedition in the core of Antarctica. They have sufficient expertise, material, financial, medical means and everything they need to protect themselves from cold. Nothing is forgotten. Only one watchword. Success. It is within this context that today's message is placed. 🎵 Music 🎵 The Lord Magnified. Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus called his disciples and empowered them to help them carry on the mission he has started. He said to them, ''As my Father hath sent me, even so sent I you.'' He breathed on them and said unto them, ''Receive ye the Holy Ghost.'' From then on, the disciples received the authority they needed to accomplish their mission. This is to say that the Bible recognizes the spiritual authority of the servant of God and particularly those who have received the call to lead his flock. Jesus speaks precisely of the reason why he breathed on them. He said, ''Whosoever sin he remit, they are remitted unto them. And whosoever sin he retain, they are retained.'' We can notice that this statement is the reason for which Jesus breathed on the disciples. Now, what is the meaning of this statement? The statement, ''Whosoever sin he remit, they are remitted unto them. And whosoever sin he retain, they are retained.'' means if you forgive anyone's sin, their sins are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. That's how this statement means. First, if we don't know why Jesus came to this world, then it is obvious that we could not fully perceive the meaning of this commandment. Do you remember when Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized by him? If you understand what finally convinced John the Baptist to baptize Jesus, then it will make sense to you why God's servant can declare forgiveness or retain it. In fact, John the Baptist was resisting Jesus' request to be baptized by him. But Jesus convinced him by saying this, ''Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.'' Matthew 3, verse 15. ''For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.'' A question for you. For whom is it fitting to fulfill all righteousness? Obviously, for Jesus, for John the Baptist, and for all the disciples of Christ today, you and I. Fulfilling all righteousness is what matters for Jesus. But Jesus is not going to do that alone. Jesus needs your help to make this possible. He says, ''It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.'' For us. Praise the Lord. Righteousness has to do about justification. And justification is about forgiveness of sin. Otherwise, how can you be forgiven without recognizing your fault? That's exactly what John 20, 23 is about. Jesus gives authority to his disciples so that they can extend his forgiveness to all those who come to him with a contrite heart. In other words, through the faithful proclamation of the gospel of Christ, the servant of God will forgive those who respond in faith, while at the same time, retaining it to those who do not. Hallelujah. Fred, what is easier for a servant of God to say to whosoever desires to come to Jesus, ''May God forgive your sin.'' Don't you think that Jesus knew very well that the disciples, being mortal, with many failures, lack the ability to forgive men of their sins? He knew it. This is why he gave them authority. For this good reason, he wanted to call on them to help him accomplish the task. He could have done it on his own, but he didn't want to. He to whom all power in the universe belongs has chosen to use disciples to reach sinners. So, John the Baptist baptized the King of Kings, God in person. Have you reflected on this? Who would have thought that a man with many failures could do this? Yet, God made it possible for his purposes. It is pretty much the same understanding we should have of John 20, 23. Listen, this is what the Lord Jesus wanted to teach his disciples. He was saying to them, ''I will not always be here with you to attend to the needs of the crowd. I am going to the cross. I am going to open the gates of heaven for this crowd. But you will continue what I have started. That's why Jesus breathed his power on them. Let me assure you, there's no doubt that the mission God gave you to forgive sin will have the same effect as if Jesus had done the act of forgiving. It is by flowing through the gospel you preach that the power of Christ can do his work among men since the gospel determines what is forgiven and what is retained. The disciples' action of forgiving and retaining here on earth express heaven's verdict itself on who will be forgiven and on who will not based on their response to the gospel. While the focus in this passage is the apostle of Jesus, this same authority is extended to the entire church today. In fact, this command is about how the church should handle unrepentant sinners. In conclusion, let me remind you the question that we asked at the beginning. Does Jesus mean it when he says, ''Whosoever sin he remits, they are remitted''. Yes, Jesus means what he says. He is God and does not say one thing and then say the opposite. Let's understand this. If Jesus let himself be baptized by a man, a mortal, under the influence of sin for the fulfillment of all righteousness, what would keep him back from allowing his servant to declare forgiveness of the sinner for the sake of righteousness? It is not at all blasphemy to claim that the minister can extend God's forgiveness to those who come to Jesus because that is how God will be. God has promised to confirm the word of all who go in his name and obey him. He says he will make the knowledge of the first prophet foolish, but will confirm the word of his servants and perform the counsel of his messengers. Isaiah 44 verse 26. In a way, God will seal whatever his servants say or do. You know, you have received the ministry of forgiveness and repentance. You are instructed unto the kingdom of heaven. Let me tell you, you have nothing to worry about if you do it according to God's will. Your mission is that God has called you to participate in the fulfillment of all righteousness. It is so that you could bring to salvation all lost souls. When you follow Jesus' teaching, you can be confident that your actions of forgiving and retaining are an extension of God's actions in heaven. Hallelujah! Friend, if you understand the reason why the project manager of the Research Institute did not skimp on resources, but has provided his employees with everything necessary for the success of the expedition we mentioned in the introduction, then you know why Jesus gives authority to his disciples to remit or retain sin. Hallelujah! May God bless your understanding. I have provided more details on this topic. Please find the link in the description below. We have come to the end of this message. I hope you enjoyed this video. If God wills it, we will meet again next Sunday. Shalom.