Forgiveness: Is it Bitter?... Or Sweet? Rev. Michael D. Halley February 4, 2018 Suffolk Christian Church Suffolk, Virginia Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany Holy Communion ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Someone once saw a little sign in a tourist shop that said To err is human, to forgive is out of the question 1. Well, I hope that does not describe any of us as we take a look today at this matter of forgiveness. How would you define forgiveness? I like this definition: Forgiveness is an act of God s grace [remember that God s grace is his unmerited favor]... an act of God s grace to forget forever and not hold people of faith accountable for sins they confess 2. Think about that: forget forever. The question posed by the title of this sermon might give you pause to think... what is there about forgiveness could ever be bitter? Well, hold that thought until just a bit later. Remember this about forgiveness: It comes only through the sacrificial death of Christ. And I would like to walk you through some very powerful Bible verses about forgiveness. I have these verses printed on a half sheet of paper suitable to keep in your Bible and you may take one from the tables near the North and the South exits when you leave this morning. The first verse comes from John s first epistle, chapter 1, verse 9. It says this: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (NIV). Let me also read it from the Easy-to- Read Version 3 : But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God 1
to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done. It is here clearly stated what the condition of mankind is all about. In the previous verse, John states If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us, and in the verse after that he says, If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. So the first step in receiving forgiveness is to acknowledge that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. By the way, what is sin? 4 Sin is any action by which we rebel against God and miss His purpose for our life., and surrender to the power of evil rather than to God. I personally like the very simple definition that sin is missing the mark, failing to reach the perfection of our Father in heaven. Page -2- So, from this first verse we learn that we must acknowledge that we are sinners in need of God s forgiveness. The second verse is Ephesians 1:7: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God s grace (NIV). Let me also read that from the New Living Translation 5 : He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. The forgiveness or cleansing that John wrote about is only possible because of the redemption we receive through the blood of Christ. Definition: Redemption: To pay the required price to secure the release of a convicted criminal. 6 This was a term from the commercial world of Jesus day and provided a dynamic image of God s work in forgiving our sins. What do we have to do to be redeemed? Nothing. It comes to us as a
Page -3- free gift of God, with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect (1 Peter 1:19, NIV). Jesus Christ did not miss the mark of God, and his righteousness is offered to all who come to God and put their trust in the Son of God. The third verse is a bit troubling. It is Matthew 6:14-15: For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. This is where the bitter part of forgiveness comes in. The human heart just is not naturally disposed to be forgiving. True?? This is a very logical verse, spoken by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount. It is logical because we have been forgiven enormously, far beyond the slights and such we have received at the hand of others. Forgiving others is not an easy process and it may take a while. Corrie ten Boom and her family lived in Holland during the Nazi invasion of Europe. They regularly hid Jews in their home and were finally found out and sent to the prison camps. Corrie tells a gripping story of forgiveness. It was 1947, and I d come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives. It was the truth that they needed most to hear in that bitter, bombed-out land, and I gave them my favorite mental picture. Maybe because the sea is never far from a Hollander s mind, I liked to think that that s where forgiven sins were thrown. When we confess our sins, I said, God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever. And even though I cannot find a Scripture for it, I believe God then places a sign out there that says, NO FISHING ALLOWED.
Page -4- The solemn faces [in the audience] stared back at me, not quite daring to believe. And that s when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a cap with skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister s frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were! That place was Ravensbruck 7, and the man who was making his way forward had been a guard one of the most cruel guards. Now he was in front of me, hand thrust out: A fine message, Fraulein! How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea! And I, who had spoken so glibly of forgiveness, fumbled in my pocketbook rather than take that hand. He would not remember me, of course how could he remember one prisoner among those thousands of women? But I remembered him. I was face-to-face with one of my captors and my blood seemed to freeze. You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk, he was saying. I was a guard there. No, he did not remember me. But since that time, he went on, I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, again the hand came out will you forgive me? And I stood there I whose sins had again and again been forgiven and could not forgive. Betsie had died in that place. Could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking? It could have been many seconds that he stood there hand held out but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do. For I had to do it I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. If you do not forgive men their trespasses, Jesus says, neither will your Father in heaven
Page -5- forgive your trespasses. And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion I knew that, too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. Jesus, help me! I prayed silently. I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling. And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust out my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, [and] sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. I forgive you, brother! I cried. With all my heart! For a long moment we grasped each other s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God s love so intensely, as I did then. But even then, I realized it was not my love. I had tried, and did not have the power. It was the power of the Holy Spirit. 8 It s not easy to forgive others, but neither is it easy for others to forgive us. But God has forgiven us, so we must do the same for others. When we compare just how much we ve been forgiven and the things that we must forgive others for, then we can understand that our forgiveness of others is incomparable to that which we have been forgiven. Ponder that forgiveness as we prepare to come to the Lord s table together. Our Communion Hymn is no. 304, Behold the Lamb. You may remain seated. Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Let us pray together a prayer of confession. First, let us pause a moment to consider our sins for which we will ask forgiveness. Almighty and merciful God, we have erred and strayed from Your ways
Page -6- like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare those who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent, according to Your promises declared to the world in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O merciful God, for His sake that we may live a holy, just, and humble life to the glory of Your holy name. Hear now our assurance of pardon: Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old life has gone: a new life has begun. Know that you are forgiven and be at peace. Amen. May the peace of Christ always be with you. Our Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, sat at supper with his disciples. After their meal, he took bread, gave thanks for it, and passed it to his disciples, saying, This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Then he took a cup of wine, and said, This is my blood, shed for you and for many for the remission of sins. Drink this in remembrance of me. Let us pray: O Lord, we thank You for giving us the body and blood of our Saviour Jesus. We confess that we are not worthy to receive You, but we accept Your gracious invitation to dine at the table of the Lord. As we receive this holy communion today, may we be strengthened and blessed for service to You. We pray this in the name of Christ, Amen. Holy Father, we thank You for all the ways You provide for us, even the bread which we eat each day. May this bread remind us of the body of our Lord Jesus, who gave his life for us. The body of Christ, the bread of heaven.
Page -7- Almighty God, we are thankful for all the gifts that give us a fuller life in You. As we take this cup, may we remember the sacrifice of Christ that we might have eternal life. The blood of Christ, the gift of salvation. Let us pray: O Lord, we thank You for allowing us to love You and serve You. May we go from here a forgiven people, passing that forgiveness on to others. May our daily lives be a reflection of Your grace and glory, as You show us the path You want us to walk. May Your Holy Spirit continue to teach us the things of Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ I wish to express my thanks to Jack Wellman, pastor of Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is a writer at Christian Quotes and also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know, whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer s daily walk with God and the Bible. He is a regular blogger, and his article on forgiveness was most inspiring for the preparation of this sermon. You may read more at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2018/01/24/six-powerful-bible-verses-about-gods-for giveness/#app28rd6ymwpzkjg.99 +==+==+==+==+==+==+ All Scripture references are from New International Version, NIV, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ Sunday Sermons from Suffolk Christian Church are intended for the private devotional use of members and friends of the church. Please do not print or publish. Thank you. Suggestions for sermon topics are always welcome!
Page -8-1. See Forgiveness, www.sermonillustrations.com. 2. Quoted from Forgiveness, by Earl C. Davis, in Holman Bible Dictionary, edited by Trent C. Butler, https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hbd/f/forgiveness.html, 1991. 3. Easy-to-Read Version (ERV), copyright 2006 by Bible League International 4. See the excellent article about sin, by Billy E. Simmons, in Holman Bible Dictionary, edited by Trent C. Butler, https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hbd/s/sin.html, 1991. 5. Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. 6. See Redemption, by Ray Summers, Holman Bible Dictionary, cited above. 7. Ravensbrück was a German concentration camp exclusively for women from 1939-1945, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück. 8. Corrie Ten Boom, Tramp for the Lord (Berkely Books, 1978), pp. 53-55. You can read this excerpt at https://soundfaith.com/sermons/41544-forgiveness-corrie-meets-guard.