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00:00:01 Well, perhaps we could take our Bibles 00:00:04 and turn to Colossians 3:13. 00:00:08 And let’s analyze this verse together 00:00:10 and see what it is that Jehovah expects of us. 00:00:14 So in Colossians 3:13, 00:00:17 it says: “Continue putting up with one another 00:00:20 “and forgiving one another freely 00:00:23 “even if anyone has a cause for complaint against another. 00:00:27 “Just as Jehovah freely forgave you, 00:00:30 you must also do the same.” 00:00:32 Well, certainly this verse 00:00:34 gives us plenty of food for thought —doesn’t it?— 00:00:37 areas in which, perhaps, we can work on and improve in. 00:00:41 But what two things stand out 00:00:43 as being required of us? 00:00:46 Well, looking back, you notice the first one, 00:00:48 “continue putting up with one another,” 00:00:51 and then the second point, 00:00:53 “forgiving one another freely.” 00:00:56 Well, let’s look at that first expression: 00:00:59 “Continue putting up with one another.” 00:01:01 Well, what’s the difference between these two expressions? 00:01:05 Well, we’re told that this first expression 00:01:08 doesn’t refer to serious sins but perhaps talks about things 00:01:12 that are irritating, annoying, 00:01:15 things that we may not necessarily 00:01:18 have a cause for complaint concerning, 00:01:20 but they still get us very upset anyway 00:01:24 —these minor things. 00:01:26 What are some of the things that annoy you? 00:01:28 Let’s be honest. 00:01:31 Are you annoyed when someone is always late? 00:01:36 Are you annoyed when they’re always early? 00:01:40 Are you annoyed when someone is outspoken? 00:01:44 Does it annoy you when someone is too quiet? 00:01:48 It’s amazing —isn’t it?— 00:01:50 what the things that annoy us are. 00:01:52 I remember back in the ’70’s, Brother Knorr gave an outstanding talk 00:01:56 where he alluded to the fact that maybe there’s a sister in the congregation, 00:02:01 and she’s hearing this other sister, new in the truth, 00:02:04 answering up time after time, 00:02:06 and in her heart, she’s thinking, 00:02:08 ‘Why doesn’t she just keep quiet?’ 00:02:11 Well, maybe we’ve all experienced those feelings. 00:02:14 And if we’re judged on them, perhaps we’ll agree: 00:02:18 ‘Well, it’s not justified; I don’t really have a cause, 00:02:21 but it still irritates me.’ 00:02:24 It’s true—isn’t it?— the expression 00:02:26 “Sometimes it’s not the mountains ahead of us that cause problems, 00:02:30 it’s the pebble in the shoe.” 00:02:32 And it’s sometimes the small things 00:02:35 that irritate us the most. 00:02:37 I remember when I was serving 00:02:39 in Western Samoa many years ago at the branch, 00:02:42 we had quite a number of brothers from overseas working on construction. 00:02:46 And there was one brother who had the habit of first thing in the morning 00:02:50 as he arrived before breakfast, 00:02:53 saying, “Good morning!” to everyone. 00:02:58 Some found that annoying. 00:03:01 Maybe you can relate to that. 00:03:03 And, no doubt, you feel very happy when you read the scripture 00:03:07 at Proverbs 27:14, where it says in one translation: 00:03:10 ‘A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning 00:03:14 is taken as a curse.’ 00:03:17 You may be thinking, ‘Amen to that.’ 00:03:20 And that brother ceased his habit after he read that scripture 00:03:23 —or at least it was read to him. 00:03:27 But we may not always be able to find a scripture 00:03:30 that backs up this irritation that we feel. 00:03:34 So, what do we do? 00:03:35 Well, what does it say? 00:03:37 “Continue putting up with one another.” 00:03:40 “Continue”—it’s something that we just have to keep on doing. 00:03:45 Now, that brings us to the second part of our verse, 00:03:48 “forgiving one another freely.” 00:03:51 It’s interesting, when we look at other translations of this verse, 00:03:55 most follow the King James Version 00:03:58 and just say “forgive.” 00:04:01 The New World Translation says ‘forgive freely.’ 00:04:05 The reason is that this isn’t your normal 00:04:08 Greek word for “forgiveness.” 00:04:10 It denotes generosity, 00:04:14 a willingness to go beyond what’s required. 00:04:17 It’s interesting that The Watchtower even back in 1882 00:04:22 was using that expression, to ‘forgive one another freely,’ 00:04:26 well before the time of the New World Translation. 00:04:29 So this gives us something to think about 00:04:32 because it’s not just a matter of forgiving, 00:04:35 but we need to be generous about forgiving. 00:04:38 We have to be willing to, as it were, bestow a pardon 00:04:43 on someone who really doesn’t deserve that pardon. 00:04:47 Now, why should we be interested 00:04:49 in developing and working on these two aspects: 00:04:52 “putting up with one another” and ‘forgiving freely’? 00:04:56 Well, we’ve heard the reasons many times before, haven’t we? 00:05:00 The first one, of course, is that Jehovah has forgiven us. 00:05:04 If we turn back just one chapter, 00:05:06 chapter 2 of Colossians and verse 13, 00:05:10 this point is highlighted for us. 00:05:13 It says in chapter 2, verse 13: 00:05:16 “Furthermore, though you were dead in your trespasses 00:05:19 “and in the uncircumcised state of your flesh, 00:05:22 “God made you alive together with him. 00:05:25 “He kindly forgave us 00:05:30 all our trespasses.” 00:05:32 So this is the model that Jehovah has given us. 00:05:35 It’s true, we sometimes can find some reason 00:05:40 why we feel we don’t have to forgive someone else. 00:05:43 But remember the illustration Jesus gave 00:05:46 of the slave who had the huge debt. 00:05:48 If you calculated it in denarius, 00:05:51 there were 60 million denarii that he owed; 00:05:55 he was forgiven that. 00:05:57 Then he went after the other man 00:05:59 who owed him just a small amount. 00:06:01 But have you ever thought that if you asked that slave, 00:06:04 maybe he would say: “Well, it’s true. 00:06:06 “I really appreciate having everything forgiven, but I still don’t have any money. 00:06:11 “I need some money, so that’s why I wanted to get 00:06:13 the other slave to give me the money.” 00:06:16 Well, there’s always a reason —isn’t there?— 00:06:18 even if it’s a distorted reason 00:06:20 as to why we don’t follow Jehovah’s example. 00:06:23 But looking back at Colossians 3:13, what does it say? 00:06:28 “If anyone has a cause for complaint against another.” 00:06:33 So that gives us a good idea, doesn’t it? 00:06:36 The second reason, of course, is that 00:06:38 we do need others to forgive us. 00:06:41 The very things that annoy us 00:06:45 and irritate us in others are sometimes 00:06:49 the same things that we do to others. 00:06:51 Have you ever noticed that? 00:06:53 And how annoying it is when someone points that out to you: 00:06:55 “You’re annoyed with that person? 00:06:58 Don’t you realize what you do?” 00:07:00 Well, that’s something good for us to remember —isn’t it?— 00:07:03 the fact that we do need to have others forgive us. 00:07:06 And then another reason 00:07:08 is that it maintains the peace within the Christian congregation. 00:07:12 The Watchtower made a comment on this. 00:07:15 It said that in countries where our work is restricted or under ban, 00:07:20 many of our brothers have to meet together in smaller groups. 00:07:24 And when you do that, you get to know 00:07:26 everyone’s weaknesses and idiosyncrasies. 00:07:29 It’s so much easier to be annoyed by others 00:07:33 when you’re dealing with small groups of persons. 00:07:36 The Watchtower then made the comment 00:07:38 what good training it is for us now 00:07:41 to learn how to put up with one another 00:07:43 when we’re in larger groups, 00:07:45 because later we may need to worship Jehovah in smaller groups. 00:07:49 So it’s good training for us as we keep peace in the congregation. 00:07:54 And what can help us? 00:07:55 Well, there are many different things that can help us in this regard. 00:07:59 The one point in the marginal reference 00:08:01 you see there is at 1 Peter 4:8, 00:08:05 and that’s where it tells us we need 00:08:07 to “have intense love for one another” 00:08:10 —not just love but “intense love.” 00:08:13 And this word “intense” means “full strength.” 00:08:16 Literally, it means “to stretch out our love.” 00:08:20 So as we come across these things that irritate us, annoy us, in life 00:08:25 or if we come across persons who actually do sin against us, 00:08:29 what should we keep in mind? 00:08:31 “Continue putting up with one another.” 00:08:34 ‘Continue freely forgiving one another.’
00:00:01 Well, perhaps we could take our Bibles 00:00:04 and turn to Colossians 3:13. 00:00:08 And let’s analyze this verse together 00:00:10 and see what it is that Jehovah expects of us. 00:00:14 So in Colossians 3:13, 00:00:17 it says: “Continue putting up with one another 00:00:20 “and forgiving one another freely 00:00:23 “even if anyone has a cause for complaint against another. 00:00:27 “Just as Jehovah freely forgave you, 00:00:30 you must also do the same.” 00:00:32 Well, certainly this verse 00:00:34 gives us plenty of food for thought —doesn’t it?— 00:00:37 areas in which, perhaps, we can work on and improve in. 00:00:41 But what two things stand out 00:00:43 as being required of us? 00:00:46 Well, looking back, you notice the first one, 00:00:48 “continue putting up with one another,” 00:00:51 and then the second point, 00:00:53 “forgiving one another freely.” 00:00:56 Well, let’s look at that first expression: 00:00:59 “Continue putting up with one another.” 00:01:01 Well, what’s the difference between these two expressions? 00:01:05 Well, we’re told that this first expression 00:01:08 doesn’t refer to serious sins but perhaps talks about things 00:01:12 that are irritating, annoying, 00:01:15 things that we may not necessarily 00:01:18 have a cause for complaint concerning, 00:01:20 but they still get us very upset anyway 00:01:24 —these minor things. 00:01:26 What are some of the things that annoy you? 00:01:28 Let’s be honest. 00:01:31 Are you annoyed when someone is always late? 00:01:36 Are you annoyed when they’re always early? 00:01:40 Are you annoyed when someone is outspoken? 00:01:44 Does it annoy you when someone is too quiet? 00:01:48 It’s amazing —isn’t it?— 00:01:50 what the things that annoy us are. 00:01:52 I remember back in the ’70’s, Brother Knorr gave an outstanding talk 00:01:56 where he alluded to the fact that maybe there’s a sister in the congregation, 00:02:01 and she’s hearing this other sister, new in the truth, 00:02:04 answering up time after time, 00:02:06 and in her heart, she’s thinking, 00:02:08 ‘Why doesn’t she just keep quiet?’ 00:02:11 Well, maybe we’ve all experienced those feelings. 00:02:14 And if we’re judged on them, perhaps we’ll agree: 00:02:18 ‘Well, it’s not justified; I don’t really have a cause, 00:02:21 but it still irritates me.’ 00:02:24 It’s true—isn’t it?— the expression 00:02:26 “Sometimes it’s not the mountains ahead of us that cause problems, 00:02:30 it’s the pebble in the shoe.” 00:02:32 And it’s sometimes the small things 00:02:35 that irritate us the most. 00:02:37 I remember when I was serving 00:02:39 in Western Samoa many years ago at the branch, 00:02:42 we had quite a number of brothers from overseas working on construction. 00:02:46 And there was one brother who had the habit of first thing in the morning 00:02:50 as he arrived before breakfast, 00:02:53 saying, “Good morning!” to everyone. 00:02:58 Some found that annoying. 00:03:01 Maybe you can relate to that. 00:03:03 And, no doubt, you feel very happy when you read the scripture 00:03:07 at Proverbs 27:14, where it says in one translation: 00:03:10 ‘A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning 00:03:14 is taken as a curse.’ 00:03:17 You may be thinking, ‘Amen to that.’ 00:03:20 And that brother ceased his habit after he read that scripture 00:03:23 —or at least it was read to him. 00:03:27 But we may not always be able to find a scripture 00:03:30 that backs up this irritation that we feel. 00:03:34 So, what do we do? 00:03:35 Well, what does it say? 00:03:37 “Continue putting up with one another.” 00:03:40 “Continue”—it’s something that we just have to keep on doing. 00:03:45 Now, that brings us to the second part of our verse, 00:03:48 “forgiving one another freely.” 00:03:51 It’s interesting, when we look at other translations of this verse, 00:03:55 most follow the King James Version 00:03:58 and just say “forgive.” 00:04:01 The New World Translation says ‘forgive freely.’ 00:04:05 The reason is that this isn’t your normal 00:04:08 Greek word for “forgiveness.” 00:04:10 It denotes generosity, 00:04:14 a willingness to go beyond what’s required. 00:04:17 It’s interesting that The Watchtower even back in 1882 00:04:22 was using that expression, to ‘forgive one another freely,’ 00:04:26 well before the time of the New World Translation. 00:04:29 So this gives us something to think about 00:04:32 because it’s not just a matter of forgiving, 00:04:35 but we need to be generous about forgiving. 00:04:38 We have to be willing to, as it were, bestow a pardon 00:04:43 on someone who really doesn’t deserve that pardon. 00:04:47 Now, why should we be interested 00:04:49 in developing and working on these two aspects: 00:04:52 “putting up with one another” and ‘forgiving freely’? 00:04:56 Well, we’ve heard the reasons many times before, haven’t we? 00:05:00 The first one, of course, is that Jehovah has forgiven us. 00:05:04 If we turn back just one chapter, 00:05:06 chapter 2 of Colossians and verse 13, 00:05:10 this point is highlighted for us. 00:05:13 It says in chapter 2, verse 13: 00:05:16 “Furthermore, though you were dead in your trespasses 00:05:19 “and in the uncircumcised state of your flesh, 00:05:22 “God made you alive together with him. 00:05:25 “He kindly forgave us 00:05:30 all our trespasses.” 00:05:32 So this is the model that Jehovah has given us. 00:05:35 It’s true, we sometimes can find some reason 00:05:40 why we feel we don’t have to forgive someone else. 00:05:43 But remember the illustration Jesus gave 00:05:46 of the slave who had the huge debt. 00:05:48 If you calculated it in denarius, 00:05:51 there were 60 million denarii that he owed; 00:05:55 he was forgiven that. 00:05:57 Then he went after the other man 00:05:59 who owed him just a small amount. 00:06:01 But have you ever thought that if you asked that slave, 00:06:04 maybe he would say: “Well, it’s true. 00:06:06 “I really appreciate having everything forgiven, but I still don’t have any money. 00:06:11 “I need some money, so that’s why I wanted to get 00:06:13 the other slave to give me the money.” 00:06:16 Well, there’s always a reason —isn’t there?— 00:06:18 even if it’s a distorted reason 00:06:20 as to why we don’t follow Jehovah’s example. 00:06:23 But looking back at Colossians 3:13, what does it say? 00:06:28 “If anyone has a cause for complaint against another.” 00:06:33 So that gives us a good idea, doesn’t it? 00:06:36 The second reason, of course, is that 00:06:38 we do need others to forgive us. 00:06:41 The very things that annoy us 00:06:45 and irritate us in others are sometimes 00:06:49 the same things that we do to others. 00:06:51 Have you ever noticed that? 00:06:53 And how annoying it is when someone points that out to you: 00:06:55 “You’re annoyed with that person? 00:06:58 Don’t you realize what you do?” 00:07:00 Well, that’s something good for us to remember —isn’t it?— 00:07:03 the fact that we do need to have others forgive us. 00:07:06 And then another reason 00:07:08 is that it maintains the peace within the Christian congregation. 00:07:12 The Watchtower made a comment on this. 00:07:15 It said that in countries where our work is restricted or under ban, 00:07:20 many of our brothers have to meet together in smaller groups. 00:07:24 And when you do that, you get to know 00:07:26 everyone’s weaknesses and idiosyncrasies. 00:07:29 It’s so much easier to be annoyed by others 00:07:33 when you’re dealing with small groups of persons. 00:07:36 The Watchtower then made the comment 00:07:38 what good training it is for us now 00:07:41 to learn how to put up with one another 00:07:43 when we’re in larger groups, 00:07:45 because later we may need to worship Jehovah in smaller groups. 00:07:49 So it’s good training for us as we keep peace in the congregation. 00:07:54 And what can help us? 00:07:55 Well, there are many different things that can help us in this regard. 00:07:59 The one point in the marginal reference 00:08:01 you see there is at 1 Peter 4:8, 00:08:05 and that’s where it tells us we need 00:08:07 to “have intense love for one another” 00:08:10 —not just love but “intense love.” 00:08:13 And this word “intense” means “full strength.” 00:08:16 Literally, it means “to stretch out our love.” 00:08:20 So as we come across these things that irritate us, annoy us, in life 00:08:25 or if we come across persons who actually do sin against us, 00:08:29 what should we keep in mind? 00:08:31 “Continue putting up with one another.” 00:08:34 ‘Continue freely forgiving one another.’
