Have you ever been forgiven... in depth... and felt the emotional release that being forgiven gave you? When you are really sinning and your debts are really adding up, your spirit takes a weight that will crush it entirely. And as the debt grows, you become frantic...and add to it by lying, or stealing, or sinning in some other way. Your relationships become strained, especially with the one whom you owe the debt (or are sinning against)... and scheming, avoidance, and manipulation become trail signs of a deadly secret that is killing you. You go on, half wishing that you would be caught, and then one day- you are! Caught and held accountable by the boss, the wife, the friend, or the king. Where is the money you owe me? Where were you last night? Did you really tell all those lies about me? What is the meaning of this gambling debt? You're caught, and all you can do is beg for mercy... because you owe more than you can ever repay. So... you plead for leniency, even forgiveness. Give me a mulligan, let me start over again, I didn't mean to cheat, I wasn't in my right mind. I'll be a better servant, husband, employee, team member- I promise I will- if you give me another chance. And then... you hear the words that you know you don't deserve and which you didn't think you would hear- your debt is forgiven, You are free to go! My debt is forgiven? I don't owe you a thing? You can't believe what you've heard and your soul begins to sing for the first time in weeks, months, years! The weight has been lifted and you feel light and able. A new day has dawned, and you've been given the chance to be a new creation. Friends, many of us have experienced the transforming power of being forgiven, and I can tell you that there's nothing like it. The
older I get, the more I know that I don’t know much… but I do know that MY debt
was paid at Calvary . I know what it’s like to
carry the heavy burden of unrepentant sin. I know what it’s like to feel empty
and small. I know there is nothing on earth more exhilarating than
being forgiven, and I know that I'm not the only one.
In his book, “Listening to Your Life,” Frederick Beuchner captures the essence of ministry when he writes:“She doesn’t know God forgives her. That’s the only power you have- to tell her that. Not just that He forgives her the poor little adultery. But the faces she can’t bear to look at now. The man’s. Her husband’s. Her own, half the time. Tell her (God) forgives her for being lonely and bored, for not being full of joy with a houseful of children. Tell her that sin is forgiven because whether she knows it or not, that’s what she wants more than anything else- what all of us want. What on earth do you think you were ordained for?” Why do you think you were ordained- to judge others, to join committees? Surely, forgiveness lies at the core of the gospel, Christ came to forgive us, and when he showed himself to his disciples after his resurrection, he had forgiveness on his mind. Receive the Holy Spirit, He said, and forgive others! Free them from the bondage of guilt. Liberate yourself from the cancer of resentment. When he introduced his Supper and lifted the cup, he proclaimed that our sins are forgiven in the new covenant of grace, and when he hung on that dreadful cross and faced his killers, he said, “Father, forgive them.” He said this because forgiving us was His mission. When he taught about the ways in which his disciples ought to live, he mentioned forgiveness as well, and Peter said, tell me just how many times should I forgive a brother or sister. One time doesn’t work. Zero tolerance is not a heavenly theme. Three strikes isn’t enough, because life is not a baseball game. How about seven times? Seven times is more than most of us would give and it is also a Biblical number indicating “fullness” or “completeness,” but Jesus replied, 70 X 7… which doesn’t mean 490 times but forever! Jesus’ people forgive again and again and again, to the point where they are embarrassed by it, until the cows come home… because they've been forgiven a HUGE debt themselves… and because it is God’s nature to forgive! If we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we die to ourself and we are reborn as a new creation. None of us is able to forgive continually, and without God's help, some of us can’t forgive at all...and on our own, we never will! But a person who has surrendered to Christ and who is filled with the Holy Spirit… CAN forgive until the cows come home… because grace, love, and forgiveness will be his or her new nature! In Christ, we can be a forgiving people… and we must be because forgiving others is a great gift!
In his book, “Listening to Your Life,” Frederick Beuchner captures the essence of ministry when he writes:“She doesn’t know God forgives her. That’s the only power you have- to tell her that. Not just that He forgives her the poor little adultery. But the faces she can’t bear to look at now. The man’s. Her husband’s. Her own, half the time. Tell her (God) forgives her for being lonely and bored, for not being full of joy with a houseful of children. Tell her that sin is forgiven because whether she knows it or not, that’s what she wants more than anything else- what all of us want. What on earth do you think you were ordained for?” Why do you think you were ordained- to judge others, to join committees? Surely, forgiveness lies at the core of the gospel, Christ came to forgive us, and when he showed himself to his disciples after his resurrection, he had forgiveness on his mind. Receive the Holy Spirit, He said, and forgive others! Free them from the bondage of guilt. Liberate yourself from the cancer of resentment. When he introduced his Supper and lifted the cup, he proclaimed that our sins are forgiven in the new covenant of grace, and when he hung on that dreadful cross and faced his killers, he said, “Father, forgive them.” He said this because forgiving us was His mission. When he taught about the ways in which his disciples ought to live, he mentioned forgiveness as well, and Peter said, tell me just how many times should I forgive a brother or sister. One time doesn’t work. Zero tolerance is not a heavenly theme. Three strikes isn’t enough, because life is not a baseball game. How about seven times? Seven times is more than most of us would give and it is also a Biblical number indicating “fullness” or “completeness,” but Jesus replied, 70 X 7… which doesn’t mean 490 times but forever! Jesus’ people forgive again and again and again, to the point where they are embarrassed by it, until the cows come home… because they've been forgiven a HUGE debt themselves… and because it is God’s nature to forgive! If we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we die to ourself and we are reborn as a new creation. None of us is able to forgive continually, and without God's help, some of us can’t forgive at all...and on our own, we never will! But a person who has surrendered to Christ and who is filled with the Holy Spirit… CAN forgive until the cows come home… because grace, love, and forgiveness will be his or her new nature! In Christ, we can be a forgiving people… and we must be because forgiving others is a great gift!
In the 18th chapter of Matthew's gospel, Jesus tells a remarkable story about an unbelievably generous king (God) who forgave an impossible debt. The king is all-powerful, but he uses his power to forgive an unpayable debt- and his motive for forgiving the debtor seems to be loving kindness (hesed) and nothing more. Being forgiven is a life-changing gift that brings utter joy, but it also brings an obligation...to share that joy. We're all called to treat our fellows with the greatest respect, but when we know that we've been forgiven, our joy and gratitude drive us to be forgivers ourselves! It’s a spiritual truth- since forgiveness is God’s nature, we will forgive others... if we are in Christ. To do less is both unfaithful and revealing… so when the forgiven servant refuses to forgive a man who owes him a much lesser debt, he is called to account by his king! Being forgiven, then, is an unmerited gift, and forgiving others is an unshakable obligation- a new and joyful debt if you will. Thus, the cycle of being forgiven and forgiving goes around and around, and on and on, and it must be this way for all of us who are Christians. I know that many of you have not been burdened by the weight of sin that I carried… but you still need to be forgiven… and what is more, we all need to forgive ourselves and others. People say that they want to be like Jesus. They ask, what can I do that would be pleasing to God today? And I say, get out there and forgive someone! Set them free. That would be the most Christlike thing that you could do today...but remember these things about forgiveness as you go forward:
1) A person who thinks Jesus' thoughts on forgiveness can be summarized with catchy sayings like...forgive but never forget, or do it once shame on you, do it twice, shame
on me… is not taking forgiveness seriously; 2) forgiving ourselves and others means that we must let go of the past. All of our sins and those imposed on us... lie in the past. So, once we have dealt with them, LET THEM GO; 3) forgiving is never easy and without the power of God, it wouldn't even be possible. It is hard to forgive, and the more someone needs to be forgiven, the harder it is; 4) acting as if nothing happened is NOT forgiving. It is only denying; 5) forgiving others does not mean we should forsake justice or condone their sin; 6) forgiveness always has a face! We can never in the abstract; 7) Being forgiven is the greatest feeling I've ever known, but forgiving others feels good too. Both experiences are worth seeking; 8) being forgiven is NOT a license to sin, but rather an opportunity to repent and serve. Jesus often said, "Go and sin no more"; 9) resentment is a terminal spiritual cancer. Untreated, it will kill your soul; 10) forgiveness is blind to race, sexual orientation, gender,wealth, age, and all other barriers that divide us. The Bible says that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, not to
condemn it, but to save it. This he did on Golgotha... for all who receive him… and he also did it for you, no matter what you
look like, or how deeply you have fallen, or how badly you are lost! Friends, believe the good news: in Jesus Christ, we are
forgiven! Amen!
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