Forgiveness Freely Given Isaiah 55:1-13 As a pastor, I m continually reminded of the many burdens people bear in this life - the emotional scars, the painful memories, the gut-wrenching guilt and feelings of regret. Sometimes the stories I hear are staggering. I ve come to realize there are three kinds of people in this world: those who need to be forgiven, those who need to be forgiving of someone else, and the largest group is those who need to be both forgiven and forgiving. Forgiveness must come before healing. You can see the need everywhere around you. It's in the person whose soul is troubled by some misdeed of long ago. They are wracked by regret and governed by guilt. They are never completely happy, even when everything seems right in their life, because the memory of the
past is always there, hanging over them like a dark cloud blotting out the sun. It s truly tragic. Such a person will impose upon themselves a lifetime of suffering and won't ever be healed unless they can accept God's forgiveness of their sins. You can see the need for forgiveness in homes and families, where people of the same flesh and blood can hardly stand to look at one another. Every offhand remark, every look of the eye, every tone of voice dredges up grievances which have been accumulating for many years. These families
imprison each other in a living hell and will never escape unless, as a family, they can find a way to forgive and forget. You can see it in a church, when disputes arise and factions form, when things are done and said by one side or another, and the memory of it lingers on. The people in such a church share the same worship space on Sunday morning, but they no longer share a fellowship. Slowly, the church is robbed of vitality and its spirit is strangled. There s sickness unto death until these sisters and brothers in Christ can forgive and be forgiven. And even at a larger level in the world: forgiveness must sow the seeds of healing and peace. Why else does the violence continue for generation after generation in place after place all around the world? In the Middle East, why do Arab, Palestinian and Jew go on hating each other and fighting each 3 11
other from age to age, from the oldest citizen to the youngest child? Here in our own country we divide ourselves by race and political party, with the hatred and animosity born of unforgiveness of past sins, both real and imagined. Neither side can forgive! Neither side can let go of the past! In fact, both sides feed on past offences and teach their children to eat that bitter food. They glorify the memory of every abuse and commemorate the anniversary of every injustice - so the past becomes prologue to the future. On and on it goes, and when it will stop, God only knows. There is a better way. There is a way to break through this cycle of rancor and regret, in our lives and in the world. It s the way of forgiveness, as taught and demonstrated by our Lord, Jesus Christ, who lived and died for the forgiveness of sins. 4 11
The prophet announced it long ago: "Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!" It's a welcome cry to weary souls: the forgiveness you need is here! More than that, it's free! It's free, because that's the only way it could be! After all, who among us can begin to pay the price of buying out our sins? Every one who thirsts, come to Christ's table and drink of the cup of blessing. You who have no money - you who have no moral capital with which to buy your pardon - come and eat the bread of life. Come and taste God's forgiveness, given freely to every humble spirit and contrite heart. I can't emphasize this strongly enough. I know people whose broken hearts could be healed in an instant if they would only accept the forgiveness God has already given to them. And I 5 11
know people whose bitter spirits could be healed right now if they would only be forgiving, even as they have been forgiven. You know, every so often you hear about someone who stands on a street corner and tries to pass out money. For free, no catch, no strings attached, "Here, take some money." The incredible thing is that usually, people turn it down. They turn down free money! And that's what's so amazing about the forgiveness God offers us. He gives it freely, yet so many of us turn it down and walk away. Some people turn away from the forgiveness they need because they feel they don't deserve it. "No," they say, "I m unworthy. My soul is unclean. Leave me here in my misery; my transgressions are so great that no one can help me now." Well, these are precisely the people Jesus came to save: 6 11
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God" (Matthew 5:3). These are the very people Jesus loves the most - the ones who feel they are the most unloved. "Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!" When I was in seminary in Columbia, SC, the manager of a gentlemen s club was killed. The pastor who conducted his funeral, a man I happened to know, spoke about forgiveness in the eulogy. He said that after the funeral was over a young woman, a dancer, approached him and asked if it really was true that she could be forgiven for the sins she had committed. I ve often wondered if she ever really was able to accept the forgiveness God was offering to her. I can only pray that she did. Forgiveness is transformational. It is healing. It restores life 7 11
from the midst of death. Then there are people who ll agree that they are worthy of God's forgiveness - it's the other person over there who isn't worthy! "He's never been much of a Christian," they say. Or, "She hasn't really repented and changed their ways so how can she be forgiven?" Fortunately, God's mercy is broader than our hearts can feel; His forgiveness runs deeper than our minds can imagine. Fortunately, God pays no attention to the ways we try to limit His love. God forgives us, that we might find it easier to forgive one another. "Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!" Even if I had never met any of you before, even if I had never grown to love you as I do, I know enough about the human condition to know that somewhere in this church today, there are 8 11
people who need to leave their sorrow with God and accept the forgiveness he offers. There are people here this morning who need to let go of the hurt they are holding on to and forgive another. God knows each of us, even in secret, and He knows we can't possibly afford to purchase the pardon we need. God knows we re coming to Him "just as we are, without one plea," to buy His forgiveness for free. There are two questions we need to address. The first is, how do I accept the forgiveness that is offered to me by God? The short answer is to trust God to be as good as his word. To anyone who repents, God grants forgiveness. Simply accept the gift offered to you. Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. (Isaiah 55:2b-3a NIV) God s desire for 9 11
each of us is relationship. His forgiveness is the beginning of the restoration of relationship. And the second question for us is this: how do we forgive another? We are commanded to forgive as God has first forgiven us, but we all know that to be very difficult, of not impossible. Without Jesus as our guide and his forgiveness of those who were literally killing him, we cannot forgive. So first, study his example. Second, trust that the Holy Spirit is at work in you, and will show you the way if you earnestly seek it. Finally, know this: forgiveness is not forget-ness. Forgiving is not forgetting. Forgiving is relinquishing the power the offence has over you, it is an intentional decision to let go of the anger and to trust that ultimately God will do the right thing in the person s life. 10 11
Pastoral Prayer Everlasting, Most Merciful God, we pray today for the spirit of forgiveness, given freely to all by Your love in Jesus Christ. We pray especially that the forgiveness we seek at home and in our hearts may also flow like mighty waters through the world -in every time and place where age-old enemies must forgive and forget. Hasten the day when the lion shall lie down with the lamb and when all Your children shall be free at last, their thirst assuaged and their hunger fed by the forgiveness which is everyone's to receive, by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen 1 1 TOGETHER IN CHRIST, Erskine White, C.S.S. Publishing Company, 1990, 1-55673-237-6 11 11