04/29/2024
In my devotional reading his morning Pastor E.M. Bounds wrote on the subject of forgiveness. The title of his devotional message was "The Abundant Pardon" and it spoke of how important it is to forgive. This made me contemplate the subject as well, and to fathom the depth of this seemingly simple act that can repeatedly trip us up as we travel the way of faith. Let’s look at it further and see how forgiveness can either bless us, or its lack can destroy our relationship with God…
“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
Matthew 5:23-24 ESV
How often has our tongue confessed and our own soul called out for forgiveness? Everyday… yes, everyday our soul finds itself in need of forgiveness because we are truly sinners. Yet our bodies and minds are often in conflict with our souls regarding this humble act. Quite often our souls find themselves convicted, but our minds rationalize what we have done, or why we should forgive someone else for what they have done to us. You see, to be forgiven requires that we forgive. Jesus reiterated this when he taught us to pray the Lord's Prayer...
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Matthew 6:14-15 KJV
"aphiēmi" Is the Greek word used here for forgiveness and it means to send away or yield up. When we do this the deed our sin must be gone, sent from us, as if it had never occurred. This isn't an easy thing to do, but is what God is asking of us. We are to completely forgive those who have transgressed against us. This not only clears the air between us but gives our souls peace and allows life to continue on unabated.
As for our own sins? How does God deal with them? Well, we are taught this in scripture too...
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
1 John 1:8-10 KJV
So to gain God’s forgiveness we must confess that we have sinned, we must repent, and then as Jesus said... We must go and sin no more. In the Old Testament there are a couple of scriptures that encourage me, and I hope they will help you as well.
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Isaiah 1:18 KJV
Isaiah is delivering this Word of God to Judah but it applies equally to us; there is no sin too great that we can't seek and receive God's forgiveness. Then once the promise of His forgiveness has been received we know that our sins will be cast away... This applies to our forgiveness of one another as well.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
Psalms 103:12-14 KJV
And so it is that I should cast away the sin or transgression that I have just forgiven. I should remember that the debtor I just forgave is exactly like me... A sinner... comprised of the same Dust of which I am made.
Bounds wrote these words in his devotional today: "prayer always brings forgiveness to the seeking soul. The abundant pardon is dependent upon the promise made real by God's promise to the sinner." The promise he is referring to is God’s promised to forgive those who confess, repent, and then go and sin no more, but He also expects us to forgive as He forgives and that can be a very difficult role for us to play can't it? We tend to carry the things that others have done to us like so much baggage.
There is an old analogy that I heard told of arguments between husbands and wives. Although its protagonist is the wife, it can apply equally to the husband and can be used in many of life's circumstances; it goes like this...
"When my wife gets mad at me she pulls out a grocery bag and starts unpacking every bad thing I have done since we first met, and when the argument is over she carefully puts them each of them back in sack, and carefully lays the one we just argued over on top of the others where it can be easily reached the next time."
If we are not careful we will all drag a bag around with us. I dare say that we probably already do. It will eventually become so heavy that we won't be able to walk far without resting from the load. This is not what the Lord's Prayer instructed us to do, and it is detrimental to our health, our relationships, our spirituality, and the wellbeing of our very souls.
So this morning let's toss our grocery bag out with the rest of the garbage and begin our day fresh, and rejuvenated. Let's let the Lord's Prayer speak to us and seek forgiveness just as we forgive. God made us a promise regarding His forgiveness; let's keep our end of that bargain.
What transgression do we have in your lives this morning that are in need of attention? Are they predominately between us and God? Or, are they between ourselves and someone else? However we find them to be, let’s address them today as we should. Let’s listen to the words of Jesus as He hung on the Cross at Calvary, and repeat them from our heart as Stephen later did…
“And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.”
Luke 23:33-34
“And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
Acts 7:59-60 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for forgiving us and tying that forgiveness to how we are able to forgive others. Thank you Lord for the mercy and grace you apply to our personal transgressions, and for allowing us to use a portion of those wonderful attributes as we forgive our own transgressors. Help us Father to relieve our souls of the heavy weight that we feel when we are burdened by unforgiven things that others have done to us. Father, remove this load completely from us, and never let us be satisfied with simply lightening our burdensome load to some degree… help us remove it entirely. Return peace, rest, and joy to their rightful places in our hearts, and remove the weight of what we have been carrying from each of us. Banish it as far away as the East is to the West, and return to us the uplifting wings of eagles. You are our God, and we praise you for sending your Holy Spirit to give us this understanding which is contained in your Holy Word, and the blessed relief from all that weighs down our souls. You have not only emptied our sack of past transgressions, but destroyed it forever. You have restored peace to our souls, and thus to our families, and our lives. Holy, Holy, Holy are you our God who teaches us to forgive, and who sent your Son Jesus to demonstrate that forgiveness in a way that breaks our hearts, and brings us to tears for all the times when we have held tight to what others have done to us. Wash us clean in the blood of Christ Lord, and make us as He is… pure, perfect, righteous, and free of the burden of unforgiven sin. In Him give us everlasting peace, joy, and a place at your table forevermore.
Amen. Amen, Amen
Rich Forbes