What God Forgets. Vienna Presbyterian Church The Rev. Dr. Peter G. James Acts 13:16-39

Transcription

1 What God Forgets Vienna Presbyterian Church The Rev. Dr. Peter G. James Acts 13:16-39 November 18, 2018

2 Jill Price doesn t forget anything. Ever since 1980, when she was 14, Jill has had automatic recall of every event in her life. Ask her a date and she can tell you what she did that day, what she was wearing, even something about her mood. While you might wish you had a better memory, you do not want Jill s condition. She has become a prisoner to her own memory. She describes her memory as a video constantly playing in her head. In the story about her life, The Woman Who Can t Forget, she writes, I run my entire life through my head every day and it drives me crazy. Fifteen years ago, she resolved to find out what was going on inside her. She contacted a foremost memory expert at UC-Irvine. Although this professor had studied memory for decades, he had never encountered anyone with such vivid recall. He diagnosed her with HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory), a condition she shares with 60 other known people in the world. Omniscience is an attribute used to describe God. The word literally translates all knowing. The Bible categorically states that God knows everything (1 John 3:20). The Psalmist rejoices that God s understanding has no limits (147:5). I titled this sermon What God Forgets. There is one thing in Scripture God forgets. Hold this thought. We will come back to it later in this sermon. Today, we find ourselves in chapter 13 of the book of Acts. Paul and Barnabas embark on a missionary journey to Pisidian Antioch, one of 16 towns with the name Antioch, in

3 honor of King Antiochus. Pisidian Antioch is situated in Galatia, located in Turkey today. Paul and Barnabas worship at the local synagogue in Antioch on the Sabbath, as is their custom. Observant Jews gather with them at the synagogue as do a large number of God-fearing Gentiles (13:26). After reading from the Law and the Prophets, synagogue leaders ask Paul to deliver the sermon. Before we delve into Paul s sermon, one observation is worth noting. For the first 12 chapters of Acts, Peter stands out above the rest as chief spokesperson for the early church. In Acts 2, his sermon on the Day of Pentecost sets the stage for everything that transpires in the opening twelve chapters. Beginning in chapter 13, the focus shifts to Paul, God s emissary to the Gentiles. His sermon in Acts 13 serves as a springboard for the remainder of the book in chapters Acts 13 is to the second half of the book what Acts 2 is to the first half of Acts. Luke supplies his readers with his CliffNotes version of Paul s sermon. It s a sermon in three movements or parts. In part I, verses 16-25, Paul chronicles God s promises made to Israel in the Old Testament. His extensive use of active verbs stress God s initiative in each promise. God chose our ancestors (v17). God made people prosper in Egypt (v17). God led them out of Egypt (v17). God endured with them in the wilderness (v18). God conquered seven nations in Canaan (v18). God gave the Promised Land (v19) and gave them judges (v20). God also gave them Saul (v21) and raised up David (v22). Paul rattles off these promises in rapid-fire succession. When he comes to David, Paul slows down the pace to tease

4 out the promise made to David. From David s descendants will come a Savior, God s long awaited promise (13:23). In part II, verses 26-37, Paul enumerates on God s promise fulfilled in Christ. Paul juxtaposes, They took him down from the cross and laid him in the tomb in verse 29 with But God raised him from the dead in verse 30. While they laid him, God raised him. While they took him down, God raised up Jesus. Paul drives home this same theme in verses 33 and 34 by underscoring that God raises Jesus from death to life again. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is crucial to the message of Paul s sermon. In part III, verses 38-41, Paul concludes by issuing an invitation. The sentence structure in verses accentuates the promise made through Jesus. Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you (13:38). Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin (13:39). Paul closes his sermon by highlighting the twin promises through Jesus Christ: we can be forgiven and set free from every sin. Our greatest need is not, as some suppose, for personal happiness or financial security. Our greatest need is forgiveness. Our greatest need corresponds perfectly to God s greatest gift. God s greatest gift addresses our deepest need. Forgiveness is the central message of Jesus life. The cross of Jesus represents God s justice for sin and God s mercy for sinners.

5 English author G.K Chesterton was known for his quick wit. When someone asked him why he chose to convert from Universalism to Catholicism, he quipped, To get rid of my sins. I became a follower of Christ to rid myself of my sins also. Someone wrote, If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior. I titled this sermon What God Forgets. If God knows everything, how is it possible for God to forget anything? God can choose not to dwell on our sins. He can elect not to call our sins to mind. God can virtually forget them. God declares through the prophet Jeremiah, I will forgive your wickedness. I will remember your sins no more (31:34). God s Word through the prophet Isaiah is virtually identical: I am he who blots out your transgressions. I remember your sins no more (43:25). King Hezekiah prays, You have put all my sins behind your back (38:17). Whatever is behind my back remains inaccessible to me. I can t scratch my back or retrieve something directly behind me. In like manner, God puts our sins far away. Like the adage out of sight, out of mind. God does not choose to dwell on our sins. He has moved on and so should we.

6 Some people have the mistaken notion that when God looks at us, what stands out in God s mind is our sins. Not according to these passages. What God forgives, God chooses to forget. God puts our sins behind his back. An American priest was serving as a missionary in the Philippines. This priest committed a sin while in seminary in the states of which he was deeply ashamed. While he had confessed his sin to God and his fellow priests, he still felt a nagging sense of guilt and shame. There happened to be a young woman in his congregation in the Philippines who claimed that Jesus appeared to her in the evening. Members of the parish learned of Jesus visitations and started asking her to inquire of Christ on their behalf. The priest was dubious about her visions and concerned that it might influence the congregation in the wrong direction. One day, the priest said to the woman, The next time you speak with Christ, I want you to ask him what sin your priest committed while he was in seminary. The woman agreed to do so. A few days later, the priest saw her. Did Christ visit you last night, he asked. Yes, he did, she answered. Did you ask him what sin I committed in seminary? Yes, I asked him. Well, what did he say? He said, I don t remember.

7 Maybe this woman was receiving nocturnal visitations from Jesus, after all. What God forgives, God chooses to forget. Our greatest need is also God s greatest gift. I have three applications to today s sermon. They constitute the so-what difference does this sermon make in my life? My first application relates to those of you who are new to faith. God extends to you the unconditional gift of forgiveness. You can be forgiven and set free from every sin. Have you received God s gift of forgiveness? You can receive the gift this morning by trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin. This Jesus wants to set you free from sin so you can live the life God intends for you. My second application applies to those of you who wrestle with whether God really does forgive you. Like this priest, perhaps there is something you have done in your past of which you are ashamed. You wonder whether God really forgives you. Do not carry this ball and chain around with you one more day. God has put your sins behind his back. He has moved on and he wants you to do likewise. Today may be the day when you accept that God forgives you.

8 My third application addresses those of you who are struggling with forgiving certain people in your life whom you perceive have wronged you. I preach about forgiveness with regularity because it is the number one relational issue in Scripture. Forgiveness is core to the Lord s Prayer: Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. If you want to have the last word in a dispute with someone, try apologizing. The best way I know to make headway in forgiveness is to contemplate the enormity of God s forgiveness for our own lives. What a magnificent promise God offers us through Jesus Christ. We can be forgiven and set free from every sin. Our greatest need is God s greatest gift.