THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS

MIKE CUNNINGHAM

DECEMBER 5, 2010

 

 

 

 

I had been planning to preach a special sermon this morning to commemorate the second Sunday of Advent. The text’s I had selected were verses 5-17 of the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke. They contained a record of an amazing supernatural event in which an angel suddenly appeared to a Jewish priest named Zechariah and foretold the birth of John the Baptist. While I was researching these verses one of the commentators’s posed a hypothetical question that stopped me in my tracks. The more I thought about the man’s question the more I realized I would have to digress and refocus on what I believe the Lord wants me to bring to your attention today! Let’s take a look at that verse.

 

11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense, (Luke 1:11) (ESV)

 

In so many words, the commentator wondered what would have happened if Zechariah’s attitude was similar to that of all too many contemporary Christians who are somewhat indifferent as to whether or not they will attend church every Lord’s Day. In other words, without a good reason such as illness, employment etc., every once in a while they decide not to attend. Here’s that verse again which is followed by the hypothetical question of the commentator.

 

11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. Luke 1:11 (ESV)

 

Now here’s what the man asked. “Suppose Zechariah hadn’t been there. Suppose that his functions as one of the many priests had been to him nothing more than just doing his duty and he hadn’t bothered to show up that day. Might not the great annunciation have been transferred? Instead of Zechariah might not Simeon have been chosen, and instead of Elizabeth, Anna? I pause [in commenting] to pose the question, because I wish to arouse those of you who don’t take your attendance at church on the Lord’s Day all that seriously how possible it is to miss a special blessing when you aren’t there. I knew of a case wherein an “anxious inquirer” would have heard the sermon that brought deliverance and peace to her five years sooner had she been in God’s house on the day it was originally preached. As it was she walked for five years in misery and gloom, and at last heard it semi-accidentally.” (A) And I have had the same experience a number of times over the years. Not only because someone didn’t bother to show up at a church service but because they never got around to reading my sermon until a long time after having received it.

 

The commentators question persuaded me to refocus because I immediately thought of all those wonderful blessings each of us received by being here for the service on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It started off with a surprise visit from Guy who drove almost two hours up from Proctor just to be with us, and Carol and her mom Connie unexpectedly coming down from Grand Isle because they also enjoy being here. As the service unfolded it became obvious to  each of us that God was pouring out blessing upon blessing on everyone. And the way He did it was through those of us who publicly shared why he or she was so thankful on that particular Sunday.

 

How could you not be blessed by listening to Beeb share such a heartwarming personal testimony and the poem she composed on the long lonely flight out to Phoenix to be with her dad for a few days until God took him home? And I doubt if any of us will soon forget watching and listening to Carol and her mom display such passionate emotion in thankfulness to God for having blessed them in a special way throughout the year through our church’s ministry of loving all people, and then Bobbie sharing how God is blessing him and his family through this church. Guy also expressed his sentiment that day and later in an email when he wrote, “Once again Brother, I have been blessed by my presence at New Covenant Baptist Church.....a small intimate body of believers full of the Love of Christ.....I have grown very fond of you all.....I love you all in Christ.....To God Be the Glory! Guy”

 

Although I was elated by everything that transpired during the service on that Sunday before Thanksgiving, the following email from a person who read the Web version eclipsed everything else, and I’m sure every Bible believing Christian will wholeheartedly agree. The person said, “I really liked your whole sermon but the part that really spoke to me was where you said that, ‘Followers of Christ don’t struggle to become holy because they know it’s impossible to enter into God’s heaven unless they are holy. Nor do they forgive in order to earn God’s forgiveness. On the contrary, followers of Christ will want to become increasingly holy and to forgive because they have been forgiven in Him.” Until I read those words and what Jesus taught about forgiveness I had been angry with someone for a lot of years. So I asked God to give me the strength to get rid of my anger and forgive the person. Now I’m happy because He did. I know what I did pleased Him. Thank you for your sermon!”  

 

God spoke to the person and convinced him or her that regardless of their profession of faith in Jesus, or perhaps saying the Sinners Prayer, or joining a church or by being baptized or faithfully attending church on Sunday, that unless he or she got rid of their anger and forgave the person who wronged them, God would not forgive them either. That’s the reason I was so elated when I received that particular Email. That person had known their sins had been already been forgiven through all the excruciating agony Jesus had to endure to obtain their forgiveness. Because they had received forgiveness of their sins they now wanted to give the gift of forgiveness to folks who wronged them and God provided him or her strength to do so. The bottom line is that by forgiving the wrongdoer, they had released themselves from being held in captivity by Satan and headed towards Hell. However, as I have said on numerous occasions, and I know you folks agree, getting rid of our anger and forgiving someone who has harmed us greatly is a lot easier said than done. Nevertheless, in humble reliance upon the strength of Christ within us, all things are possible, (Philippians. 4:13) as the person who sent the first email demonstrated.

 

Allow me to share the following account of someone most of us know who also discovered the truth of that verse. He posted it on his blog and named it The Blessing of Forgiveness. I have his permission to share it with you folks this morning. Here’s what he wrote. “When I entered the crowded room, I saw her across the room. My heart was strangely warmed to know she was here with me. It brought back a flood of memories from nearly twelve years ago. Some of those memories were sweet, some painful, but all were laced with the fragrance of forgiveness. Her name is Mary* and she nearly killed my family eleven years ago in a car accident. Mary had struggled with alcoholism most of her adult life and on that fateful morning so long ago had been heavily drinking. She drove her car head on into mine. The accident was so severe that the police who responded were amazed that anyone survived. My wife’s arm was broken and required major surgery. My leg was so shattered that at first they thought it would have to be amputated, but after surgery and many months of physical therapy, I learned to walk again. My youngest son was the most severely hurt. His back was broken and he suffered massive internal injuries. The small hospital in our area was unable to treat him for his injuries and rushed him to another hospital that had a pediatric intensive care unit. I remember the doctor telling us to say good bye to him before they put him in the ambulance because the doctor did not think we would ever see him again. For three days his life hung in the balance. But the Lord of Glory choose to use His power to spare my son’s life and though he spent months in a body cast, he made a full recovery. He is now a junior in high school and involved in both basketball and football and one would never know how serious he had been injured as a preschooler.”

“Years later the word “hate” sounds so harsh, but to be honest, that is exactly what I felt for Mary after the accident. I had moved to a small village in Vermont to serve as a missionary with the North American Mission Board. My specific ministry was to be the pastor of a small congregation of less than 20 that was struggling to survive. I was supposed to tell people like Mary about Jesus so they could be freed from their sins and be transformed into holy living Christians. That was such a glorious dream, until Mary nearly shattered it”.

“I had nightmares for months about the accident. I would wake up in a cold sweat and the hatred I felt for Mary would wash over me in waves. One part of my mind knew that I needed to forgive Mary, but another part easily justified the fact that Mary did not deserve forgiveness. One night, as I wrestled with those feelings, I tried once again to explain to God what Mary had done to my son. God listened patiently. He’s good at that. Then He responded with a still small voice and explained to me what I had done to His Son. God the Father showed me the depth of my own sin that had made it necessary for Jesus Christ, His Son, to die upon the cross. God reminded me that He had graciously spared my own son in the accident that Mary caused, but that Jesus, the Son of God, had to die because of my own sin. That night I asked God to help me learn to forgive and it was the first step in a long journey of healing in my own life. It took time, but I did learn to forgive Mary.”

“I invited her to church and she agreed to come. I sat behind her during her trial and subsequent sentencing. I went to visit her in jail as she served time for the accident. These were not easy steps for me, but they were important in the overall process of forgiveness. When Mary was released from jail, she began coming to church regularly. One Sunday Mary asked if I might come to her home and explain more about how she might trust Jesus. A deacon and I went and sat in her kitchen, surrounded by bottles of alcohol, I shared that Jesus loved her and had a plan for her life. It would not be an easy plan, for it would require significant change, but it would be a plan that would be for her good and if she would choose to follow it, I promised her she would not regret it. That day Mary gave her life to Christ and the woman who nearly killed my family became my sister in the Lord. A few months later, after I had recovered physically, I was able to baptize Mary. In the years since she has become a glowing Christian. She has served on the church board. She has been involved in a variety of ministry opportunities at the church. Though I have since moved on to a new ministry in a town not far away, Mary continues to serve the Lord in that little village church.”

“This weekend I am attending the annual meeting of my denomination’s regional organization. The meeting is filled with reports from the various national entities operated by our denomination as well as reports of the missionaries and staff members serving the churches in New England that are connected to our particular branch of the body of Christ. Each church sends representatives to hear the reports and vote on various issues to give direction to the denomination for the next year. As I walked into the room yesterday, one of the first people I saw was Mary. There she sat across the room, the woman who nearly killed my family 11 years ago, now sitting in the same room helping me make decisions for how our denomination will reach other Mary’s with the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. To me, that is what living like a missionary is all about. I can honestly say that Mary is a blessing to my life. Seeing her across the room at that meeting reminded me of the blessing of forgiveness that I have received from Christ. I can do nothing less that offers that same blessing to others as I seek to live like a missionary and share the forgiveness of God with anyone who will listen. Terry Dorset.” Now allow me to share another entry on Terry’s blog. “I am still amazed at God’s ways and because of His forgiveness I received your forgiveness which I will hold dearly in my heart always. May God bless you and hold you close my dear brother. We truly have the tie that binds forever. Praise the Lord. “Mary.” 

 

Speaking of all, not just some, but all Christians; the Apostle Paul reminded the first ones of a very important fact.

 

29 those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:28-29 (AMP)

 

14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 (ESV)

 

As Christians become increasingly molded into the image of Christ, wanting to obey these commands will become the most natural thing for him or her to desire. And that includes wanting to sincerely struggle to get rid of their anger and forgive one another just as he or she has been forgiven in Christ Jesus. But suppose Terry had died without forgiving Mary. Where do you think he would spend eternity? Jesus answered that question when He taught:

 

25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mark 11:25 (NIV)  

 

37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; Luke 6:37 (ESV)  

 

14 For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15 (AMP)

 

Allow me to share the following excerpts from another email which I received last Thursday from a  friend who wrote, “I THOUGHT it was you, Mike. Maybe I read it somewhere. I was searching for answers at that point in my life.  Maybe I read it in some book. I asked God to make me willing….to be willing to forgive. I knew I needed to. I thought I wanted to.  I’d go through the whole emotional exercise and pray and think I HAD forgiven but then the hate would bubble up inside of me, days or weeks or months later.  To me the hate meant I had not really forgiven. So I followed the advice I thought YOU had given me and I prayed, “Oh Lord, make me willing to be willing to forgive him because I don’t feel like forgiving him, and right now I don’t want to”. “Please change my heart and make me willing to forgive”. 

 

“He never asked me to forgive him, he never acted sorry and it really burned me up. So part of me was in a weird way enjoying the nasty feelings I had toward him and I enjoyed hating him for a bit. I knew it was wrong in God’s eyes and I knew I needed to get rid of those feelings, but I didn’t want to give it up. But I knew it wasn’t a suggestion but a command and I knew I needed to obey. I wanted to be obedient because I wanted to please Him.  So those words “Make me willing to be willing to forgive” helped me a lot. At least I knew I was being obedient in knowing I needed to forgive and I also knew that if I prayed such a prayer because it’s in accordance with the what Jesus taught (Mark 11:15; Luke 6:37; Matthew 6:14-15. that God would honor my prayer request and answer it because I was asking Him to help me not to sin. So I found myself willing to forgive one day and it was God who did it for me. I was kind of surprised one day when I actually tried to think the old thoughts and they were replaced with, “He’s just a flawed human being like I am”. And then I thought to myself, If you’re a Christian, then you’re a follower of Christ and you follow his teachings.  All of them and not just some. You can’t call yourself a Christian and choose not to forgive someone because God says, “Forgive or I will not forgive you”. 

 

“So as painful as it was, the Lord held me together and kept me going and growing even though there were times when I could hardly get out of bed or could barely walk. Looking back I know I was depressed. But He brought me through it and he grew me stronger and wiser and closer to him because of all the tough things I went through. He made me willing…to be willing to forgive the jerk. Just kidding Mike! That was meant to make you smile.” 

 

I hope I have been able to adequately explain why I was so elated when I received that first email. If the person didn’t bother to read my sermon and apply it in their life; and if they had died without forgiving the person they were angry with, he or she would be spending eternity with Satan and his slime-ball cohorts right now. In conclusion I want to remind us of the fact that nobody knows the exact moment we will draw our last breath. No one! That’s why I’m urging each of you that if you haven’t already accepted forgiveness of your sins from the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ to do so before you leave here today. And if there is anyone present who hasn’t already given The Gift Of Forgiveness to someone who has hurt you greatly, I plead with you not to step outside this church without asking God to help to do so. I’ve been hoping and praying  that everyone who just heard me preach this sermon and those who may read it later will accept the fact that there is absolutely nothing preventing anyone from obeying Jesus command and giving The Gift of Forgiveness to folks they are angry with except their own cold stubborn heart.

 

 Lord willing, next week ….

 

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(A)The Biblical Illustrator, Ed. by Joseph S. Exell, St Luke Vol. 1, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids Michigan 49506 pgs. 18-19. (I have modernized the commentators (Dr. Grosart) language for ease of understanding).

 

(B) “I have changed Mary’s name to protect her privacy, Terry Dorset.”

 

 

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