26.2.2012 Forgiveness

Ephesians 4: 21- 32 and Eph 5:1

Today we have the great joy of Sharing communion together….. sharing in the remembrance of His death on the cross for us……

We are studying the life of Jesus……. Jesus often taught in parables….. word pictures to help us see ourselves and to help us see the LORD…….. 2 weeks ago……. we studied one of Jesus most powerful pictures…… a picture of God´s unfailing love and mercy……. Shown to us in the picture of the Good Samaritan……. A very simple story…… but full of power…….. full of spiritual meaning…….. It is one of many occasions when Jesus warned us about Hypocrisy……. He reminds us of our tendency to pretend to be Super Christians………. Looking good….. But really not loving and helping others……. Especially if we decide that they don´t deserve our mercy……

Today we will continue to look at what the Bible teaches…..

focusing on our internal attitudes……. Our hearts and motives…… Mercy is a very important part of our Christian life …..We have received mercy that we didn´t deserve….. and we need to show mercy……. Even to those who don´t deserve it…..

This morning….. I want us to look at another component……. another internal attitude that is absolutely necessary in the life of the church….. One that we must exercise at all times …….. it is none other than the attitude of forgiveness......

You can add to your list……. We must show mercy…….. We must be a gracious and forgiving people……. Covering people with love….. The same love that the LORD has shown us…….

The church is no place for grudges……. The Christian life is not to be characterized by grudges or revenge……. or bitterness or pride……. All of these are destructive and must be dissolved in a forgiving attitude……. it is very important for the church to examine itself…….. and to deal with sin……. So that we maintain purity……. As a fellowship of believers….. and as individuals…. We are not perfect…….. But that is our goal….. We want to confess and repent as often as is necessary…….. We want to let the LORD wash the garbage out of our lives……

In the life of the church there will be imperfections…… there will be wrong attitudes……… there will be sin…… and they will occur at every level of the church……. These things will even occur in the lives of those in leadership……. they will occur in my life and in the lives of other pastors and elders……. and they will occur in the lives of everyone in this church…… and in any church…… The Apostle Paul looking at himself at the very end of his life……. identified himself as the chief of sinners……. There will always be imperfections and always be errors…….. and we will always be saying to ourselves, "O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death?"

In fact……… the more we mature in Christ…… the more our sin becomes obvious to us……. because the greater our sensitivity to it becomes……… the more likely to see our failures…….. And so because there will always be imperfections and sins and transgressions and misjudgments……. there will always be a great need for the exercise of forgiveness in the life of the church…….. And wherever there is an unforgiving attitude…….. there will be a damaging of the fellowship and there will be a limiting of the usefulness……. and there will be a stealing of the joy that we should experience……… There will be a robbing of the peace that the Lord has given us through His Spirit……

In today's culture bent on exercising and glorifying the sin of self-esteem…….. forgiveness is mocked and vengeance is exalted……. This is just the opposite of what the Scripture teaches us……. We must express an attitude of forgiveness in our personal lives….……

I want to talk about forgiveness this morning before we celebrate communion………… I have a few things for us to think about ……. First of all, forgiveness is the most godlike act a person can do....... Nothing is more godlike than forgiving someone…… And never are you more like God than when you forgive…….

If it is your heart's prayer to be like Christ……. to be as God's beloved children who manifest His character……. then you must necessarily be characterized by forgiveness……… Forgiveness is a marvelous thing……. Forgiveness is a promise…… Forgiveness is a statement of undeserved……. unearned love that says no matter what you've done there is no anger……. no matter what you've done there is no hatred…… no matter what you've done there is no desire for vengeance……. no matter what you've done there will never be any retaliation…… I pass by that transgression completely……. I do not hold you guilty…… I do not blame you…… I feel no self-pity for myself because I've been offended…… rather I pass by that transgression completely and extend my love to you fully……. That's forgiveness and that's Godlike…….

In Exodus 34 God revealed Himself to Moses saying…..

I am the LORD GOD……. compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness........

Loving kindness…..CHeSED in the Hebrew……that's another word for grace......... and truth who keeps loving kindness for thousands…… who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin."

God is by nature a forgiving God…….

David knew this about God very well……

Psalm 32: 1- 6 NLT Neues Leben

¹ Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!

1 Ein Psalm Davids. Glücklich ist der, dessen Sünde vergeben ist und dessen Schuld zugedeckt ist.

Again and again in the Psalms the theme of forgiveness is brought up……… Another one that is worth noting is in Psalm 130….

Psalm 130: 3-4 NLT

³ LORD, if you kept a record of our sins,
who, O Lord, could ever survive?
⁴ But you offer forgiveness,
that we might learn to fear you.

Psalm 130: 3-4 Neues Leben

3 Herr, wenn du unsere Sünde anrechnen würdest, wer könnte da bestehen?

4 Doch du schenkst uns Vergebung, damit wir lernen, dich zu fürchten.

Feared meaning worshiped……. treated with awe…… and respect and honor……

We see that God is worshipped by those whom He so graciously forgives…… God forgives us for His own sake….It is His nature to forgive….…….

In Isaiah….. Isaiah speaks about God's forgiveness in the forty-third chapter of his prophecy……… You remember that much of his prophecy has to do with judgment……. and then it turns to the promise of God to send the Messiah…..the redeemer……… to purchase our forgiveness with his own death…….. Jesus came…… exactly where and when he was prophesied……….. He was born to die……..offering forgiveness and a glorious future to all who were willing to repent of their sins……. In Isaiah 43:25 we read…....

Isaiah 43:25 NLT Neues Leben

²⁵ “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake
and will never think of them again.

25 Ich - ich allein - bin es, der deine Übertretungen um meiner selbst willen tilgt und nicht mehr an deine Sünden denkt.

What a great statement……

"I will blot out your sins for my own sake
and will never think of them again.

What does that mean? GOD puts His character on display as a forgiving God…….

And then that great text in Isaiah 55 verses 6 and 7……

Isaiah 55: 6-7 NLT

⁶ Seek the LORD while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.

Isaiah 55: 6-7 Neues Leben

6 Sucht den Herrn, solange er sich finden lässt. Ruft zu ihm, solange er nahe ist.

7 Der Gottlose soll seinen Weg verlassen und der Übeltäter von seinen Plänen absehen! Stattdessen soll er zum Herrn umkehren, damit er sich seiner erbarmt. Ja, bekehrt euch zu unserem Gott, denn bei ihm ist viel Vergebung.

If we repent of our sins we run into God Himself…… He generously forgives and as we read earlier in Isaiah 43…..……"I will blot out your sins for my own sake
and will never think of them again.

Jesus taught many parables…….. they dominate much of His teaching…..

Perhaps the most famous one is the parable of the prodigal son……. It is actually not the parable of the prodigal son, it is the parable of the forgiving father……..

It is recorded in Luke 15 ……. God is seen like a father who totally forgives an unworthy and undeserving son…….. The son in that parable was not unlike many sons…… greedy……. self-centered……. In a hurry to get his hands on the wealth he had not earned…….. foolish……. wasteful in the way he spent it on fast living with those who……… took advantage of him and left him in misery when his money ran out……..

Slowly coming to his senses…. eating pig slop…… he looked at his life and said to himself, "My father's servants live far better than I, I'm going to go home."

He didn't really expect forgiveness…… in fact that was the last thing he expected…….. He said I'll just go home and be a slave……… what a terrible son I've been…….. I don't expect to be accepted as a son……… I will go back and ask if I can just be a slave……. And he started on the road back.

When he arrives near the house of his father…… Jesus teaches us what it means to forgive…….. Because what does the father do? The father doesn't wait for the sinner to arrive…… As soon as he sees him coming he runs to meet him, while he's still far away the father runs……… When he starts to open his mouth and speak, before he can even say…… sorry…….. before he can say anything…….. the father runs to him and throws his arms around him…….. and starts to kiss him….. and immediately calls for a celebration….. notice he hasn´t said anything…….. He is already forgiven……..because he came back to his Father……His father tells the servants to cook up the best meal that anybody could ever imagine….. start the music, call my friends to rejoice with me…… My son is home………. That's the lavish character of forgiveness…….

When God sees the sinner moving in His direction….. God throws His arms around the sinner and hastily lavishes His forgiving love on that sinner....... that's forgiveness the way God forgives…….

I'll tell you something as a pastor…… I grieve deeply over people who carry bitternesses……. It is so ungodlike….. It is so unlike the character of Jesus Christ…… I grieve over people who think they have to retaliate for every wrong that was rendered against them…… Somehow they've got to get their pound of flesh……… Somehow they have to react preserve their ego and their pride…….. they become divisive……causing division and strife in the Church……

I grieve over those people who want to undermine the church of Christ…… and undermine the work of God….. undermine the life and ministry of faithful servants……

The forgiving father can only say that he loves the unworthy son…….. He can only say that he will always love that son who has committed such gross sins…... And those sins were committed directly against that father……. And he will do nothing but rejoice over that son and lavish him with the expressions of forgiveness……. Our Father forgives for the sheer joy of reconciliation…….

It's very hard to divide a church full of forgiving people because you can't get anything started……. No matter what failures your pastor may make…… or your leaders may make….. or you might make……. or somebody around you might make…….. when there's a rush to forgive it's very hard to cause those divisions that so dishonor the Lord…….

Jesus hanging on the cross looked out over the people who were taking His life……. the sinless Son of God….. and lifting His eyes to heaven…… He said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."

And Stephen as he was being stoned to death…… looked up to heaven……. saw Jesus Christ in a glorious vision and said…… "Lay not this sin to their charge……. O God, don't hold them responsible for what they're doing."

It was Sir Thomas More, the lord chancellor of England, after having been tried at Westminster and condemned to death….. prayed for the salvation of his executioners...... that's forgiveness.......

God has been unjustly offended and blasphemed and dishonored by all of us……… and yet joyfully showers us with the expressions of His forgiving love…… Which we do not deserve…….which we could never earn……. We talk often about earning forgiveness……. We could never earn God´s forgiveness……….. So He showers us with forgiveness because of His mercy and unfailing love…… AND

We are expected to forgive others…..

Turn if you will to Ephesians 4: 30…….

Ephesians 4: 30-32 and Eph 5: 1 and 2 NLT

³⁰ And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,^[e] 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.

¹ Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. ² Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us^[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Ephesians 4: 30-32 and Eph 5: 1 and 2 Neues Leben

30 Achtet darauf, den Heiligen Geist nicht durch euer Verhalten zu betrüben. Denkt vielmehr daran, dass ihr sein Siegel tragt und dadurch die Gewissheit habt, dass der Tag der Erlösung kommen wird.

31 Befreit euch von Bitterkeit und Wut, von Ärger, harten Worten und übler Nachrede sowie jeder Art von Bosheit.

32 Seid stattdessen freundlich und mitfühlend zueinander und vergebt euch gegenseitig, wie auch Gott euch durch Christus vergeben hat.

1 Folgt in allem Gottes Beispiel, denn ihr seid seine geliebten Kinder.

2 Euer Leben soll von Liebe geprägt sein, wie auch Christus uns geliebt hat, denn er hat sich selbst als Gabe und Opfer für unsere Sünden gegeben. Und Gott hatte Gefallen an diesem Opfer, das wie ein wohlriechender Duft zu ihm aufstieg.

Look at verse31…….

v³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.

Instead…….³² Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Be kind and forgive…… because……God has forgiven us thru The LORD Jesus Christ……

And that kindness includes being tenderhearted…… That's a simple phrase to understand, tenderheartedness........ treating people tenderly……… And here is one way to do it, forgiving each other just as God in Christ also has forgiven you……..

You are never more like God than when you forgive….. when you express kindness…… when you are tenderhearted and forgive just as God has forgiven you…… And it's not a shallow forgiveness, it's a deep forgiveness, it's a generous….overflowing forgiveness………

In Colossians 3:13….. Paul unfolds the same great truth,

Colossians 3: 13-14 NLT

¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3: 13-14 Neues Leben

13 Seid nachsichtig mit den Fehlern der anderen und vergebt denen, die euch gekränkt haben. Vergesst nicht, dass der Herr euch vergeben hat und dass ihr deshalb auch anderen vergeben müsst.

14 Das Wichtigste aber ist die Liebe. Sie ist das Band, das uns alle in vollkommener Einheit verbindet.

Forgiving anyone……that includes ….my wife my friend my enemy…… everyone who offends me…… with same kind of generosity with which the Lord forgave you from the heart…… Forgiving each other is the key to Christian unity and the key to our testimony in this unloving and unforgiving world….. How far does this go…… We are commanded to forgive our enemies…..

Luke 6: 35-36 NLT

³⁵ “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. ³⁶ You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Luke 6: 35-36 Neues Leben

35 Liebt eure Feinde! Erweist ihnen Gutes! Leiht ihnen Geld! Und macht euch keine Sorgen, weil sie es euch vielleicht nicht wiedergeben werden. Dann wird euer Lohn im Himmel groß sein und ihr handelt wirklich wie Kinder des Allerhöchsten, denn er erweist auch den Undankbaren und den Bösen Gutes.

36 Ihr sollt gütig sein, wie euer Vater gütig ist.

Turn back to that text of Ephesians 5 for just a moment……

^{Eph 5:1-2 NLT}

¹ Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. ² Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us^[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

^{Eph 5:1-2 Neues Leben}

1 Folgt in allem Gottes Beispiel, denn ihr seid seine geliebten Kinder.

2 Euer Leben soll von Liebe geprägt sein, wie auch Christus uns geliebt hat, denn er hat sich selbst als Gabe und Opfer für unsere Sünden gegeben. Und Gott hatte Gefallen an diesem Opfer, das wie ein wohlriechender Duft zu ihm aufstieg.

We imitate God when we forgive……..

By the way, Paul wrote Ephesians and Colossians, those two letters that call for forgiveness from a jail where he was unjustly and hatefully imprisoned…… He was practicing the very thing he was exhorting the believers to do…..

A second thought as we think about forgiveness is this…… whoever has offended you has offended God more.......

You say, "What's the point? The point is…. if God can forgive when He has been so sinned against…….. Why can't you forgive?

You say, "What do you mean by that?" I mean by that what is clearly indicated in Psalm 51…… Psalm 51 was written by David at the time when David was convicted of his sin with Bathsheba…… and the murder of her husband Uriah……. And in the midst of his repentance…… he wrote Psalm 32 and 51…...

In Psalm 51 and verse 4 he makes this very important point about his sin…….

Remember now, he had violated Bathsheba by engaging himself in sexual relationship with her……. He had violated Uriah by making sure that Uriah was put in a compromising position on the battlefield so that he lost his life…… So he was guilty of adultery and he was guilty of murder…… He certainly sinned against those people……. But notice what he says in verse 4….. It´s verse 6 in German….. ……

Psalm 51: 4 NLT Neues Leben

⁴ Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.

6 Gegen dich allein habe ich gesündigt und getan, was in deinen Augen böse ist. Darum wirst du Recht behalten mit dem, was du sagst, und dein Urteil über mich ist gerecht.

All sin is primarily against God…… Although it would seem to us a major sin against Bathsheba and a major sin against Uriah…… it is really a major infraction against God Himself…….

Listen, God is perfectly holy……

He is of purer eyes than to behold evil, cannot look upon iniquity……. He cannot tolerate sin…… He despises sin….. He hates sin…..

He calls on all people everywhere to repent……. And while He is forgiving there will be an end to His patience…… and He will not endure sin forever……. There will come a time of judgment and justice……

At the same time that God is forgiving……. there is an end to His forgiveness…… because ultimately His holiness will take over where there is refused to repent….…… He is perfectly holy…… ultimately does require a just punishment for sin........ either from the sinner……. or from a substitute for the sinner…… The lamb of God ……. His Son the Lord Jesus Christ…… To say that is to say that God is holy and sets a holy standard……. unforgiven sinners will be damned to an eternal hell of punishment……. There's no question about the extent of God's holiness…… And that in itself makes His forgiveness all the more astonishing…… God then who is most holy…… God who is most supremely offended……. forgives…….

We who are unholy shall we not forgive?

What is it, some kind of God complex people have who won't forgive?

Indeed it is…….. We think that we are better than whoever sins against us……WE have an elevated opinion of ourselves when we refuse to forgive……. We have exalted yourself to a standard higher than God…….

I believe that from the heart we are to forgive all offenses all the time…….. My enemies and those who persecute and hate me are unlikely to ask for my forgiveness, and yet Jesus said, "Love your enemies and do good to them." And that manifests an attitude of forgiveness……. And there are going to be Christians who offend you and me……. There are going to be Christians who are bitter and full of vengeance and want retaliation and want their pound of flesh and are going to do things that hurt us……. because they've been hurt by us or imagined they have…….

And I really believe that from the heart it is essential that we extend to them a kindness…… a tenderheartedness and a forgiving love…….. That forgiveness should be mutual……. I should forgive you and you should forgive me…….. We should ask each other for forgiveness…

But let me tell you something……. You can't wait for thatI mean, look at it in your own home, look at it in your own marriage…… look at it in your own family…….. Are you just going to accumulate a whole long list of sins that someone may have committed……. or offenses that someone may have committed…. until they ask……?

No……. love covers a multitude of sins…….

from the heart…… forgiveness has to be given you will accumulate bitterness in your own heart…...

He who is most offended forgives freely, shall not we?

Remember the story that Jesus told in Matthew 18?

…….. that story about the man who came before the king……. He could not repay his debt…….. and he was forgiven and then went out and strangled another man who owed him just a small debt…… And the point Jesus is making is how can you accept the forgiveness of God for all your sins…….. and not forgive someone else…….

God who was most offended and God who is of the highest and holiest standard has given you complete forgiveness…… How can we refuse to forgive others?

Matthew 18 is a very important text, I wish we had time to look at it…….. It´s a great study for your own queit times this week……

But one final point…… and it takes us into the place of preparation for the Lord's table…… We must repent of our sins…. And we must forgive everyone around us……

We're talking about that which has to do with your joy, your peace, your usefulness, your fellowship…….

Remember what Jesus talked with Peter about when Peter said……. "I want a bath," and the Lord said, "You already had a bath, you just need your feet washed."

For those of us who are believers……. It's not a question of you being clean….. you're clean…… you just got some dirt on your feet that makes you a foul fellow for sitting at the table with us…… Bitterness and unforgiveness does not belong at the Lords Communion Table……

In Matthew 6……. In part of the Lord´s Prayer……. We will study that next week…. The Lord willing…… Jesus said this, "Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors." And then down in verse 14, "For if you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive men then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."

That makes the point about as clearly as it could ever be made……… God will forgive you if you forgive others…….

Eternal forgiveness....... that's a settled issue……… We have that in our justification and that settles the issue of future blessing……. But practical day to day forgiveness…… is something that we need in our sanctification…… and that is the issue of present blessing……..

DoYou understand the difference…… Eternal forgiveness which we have in our justification……. settles the issue of future blessing……. Practical day to day forgiveness is what we must give now…… We need it in our sanctification process…… as God purifies the garbage in our hearts……

The point is……. if you're not forgiving others regularly and consistently and completely…… You will forfeit blessing and you will come under chastening…….

God chastens those who do not forgive others……

I have found the emptiness…… the dryness….. the lack of joy, the lack of power…… the lack of usefulness in the lives of people is often related to an unforgiving heart……. It's due to God's blessing being withheld…… because of an unwillingness to forgive…….

Today is a heart check for all of us……. Have you looked at your heart?

What is coming out of your heart…… anger…. bitterness…….?

Maybe it is the lack of forgiveness that is causing all of these trials in your life…….

We are to forgive because it is like God…… whose children we are……

We are to forgive because we have been forgiven the greater sins against God……. and should be able to forgive lesser ones against us…….

We are to forgive because not to forgive is to forfeit fellowship…….. and the love of the brethren……. and it is to be chastened…….

if we don't forgive we're really not fit to come to the Lord's table……. we're not fit to worship………

Now this is very basic…… If you have an unsettled grudge with somebody else, settle it…… Right now …..from your heart……. Reconciliation needs to precede communion and worship……. Where there is bitterness and anger and unforgiveness……

Forgiveness brings heaven to earth and restores peace in our sinful hearts…….

Forgiveness is the image of God…… the forgiving Father……. Mercy forgiveness and God´s love are the Keys that set us free….. to worship and love and serveThe Lord and each other……

Never are you more like God than when you forgive……

Before we take communion this morning….. Iwant us to take some time to pray…… to confess and repent and forgive……

Maggie will lead in worship….. while she does………. Let´s settle our issues with the Lord…… I will pas out the elements…..let´s wait land take them together