United Church of God

Five Facts About Forgiveness

You are here

Five Facts About Forgiveness

Downloads
MP3 Audio (40.93 MB)

Downloads

Five Facts About Forgiveness

MP3 Audio (40.93 MB)
×

Forgiveness is how we are reconciled to God. It’s also how we are reconciled to each other when we have done each other wrong. Forgiveness is how we pass God’s Love along to one another, and demonstrate to God that we are being changed by His Spirit in us.

Sermon Notes

Five Facts about Forgiveness

Have you ever seen someone from a distance and you wanted to tell them something, but they were just too far away to hear you? You wanted to warn them that their life was in great danger, but no matter how much you shouted, they just wouldn’t listen. The farther they walk from you the harder it is for you to even see them clearly. You continue to shout, but there’s no answer. You hear your own voice echoing back to you, but it is no use. The person is just too far away to be warned of the dangers ahead of them.

Have you ever thought that it might be this way as God tries to get our attention, to warn His people of the danger they face up ahead? He has sent His prophets at various times to get the attention of His people. Even today He will continue to increase the prophetic noise around us to get our attention, and the attention of all of mankind, to warn us of the dangers up ahead.

But Our Own Sins have Pushed Us Away from God:

Isaiah 59:1-2, 3-4, 9-10

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity. 4 No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.

Our sins have placed a Divide between Us and our Creator. As long as sin is in our lives, then we can’t be close to God.

9 Therefore justice is far from us, Nor does righteousness overtake us; We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! 10 We grope for the wall like the blind, And we grope as if we had no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight; We are as dead men in desolate places.

Sin is A heavy burden that we have put on ourselves. If we seek to please God, we will have this feeling of the burden of our sins. A burden too great for any human being to carry. It’s the guilt we feel knowing we have sinned against God.

Psalm 38:1-5 (A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.)

1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! 2 For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down. 3 There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sins. 4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. 5 My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness.

 

In verse 5, we might think of ‘wounds’ here as the consequences for our sins and foolishness. Sometimes we are left with physical and emotional wounds to heal from because of our sins. This is in addition to the penalty which God has named for sin (Romans 6:23 - “death”).

If we seek Him, God will listen to our prayers. If we turn to Him, He will delight in us. God desires to take the burden of the penalty of sin off our shoulders. He desires to forgive us our sins because He desires a close, personal relationship with us. He wants us to draw near to Him. and He wants, also, to be close to us.

James 4:7-10

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

In order for us to be able to draw near to our God, we need to have our sins washed away. We need to be far from sin. We need God’s Forgiveness! God’s prophets were to warn His people that they had sinned and that they needed to turn away from their sins. But they also were to encourage the people that God loved them and wanted good things for them.

Ezekiel 33:10-11

10 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?”’ 11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

God’s desire is not for the wicked to die, but for them to live! And to be close to Him! This includes all of us!

Today I’d like to talk about Forgiveness. I have ‘Five Facts about Forgiveness’ for you today.

This is not an exhaustive study of forgiveness, but hopefully just enough to interest you so that you can continue to learn more about the continuing need we have for forgiveness and the importance it holds in seeking a relationship with God.

 

1. Forgiveness is About Reconciliation:

 

(dictionary.com) Reconciliation:

1. an act of reconciling, as when former enemies agree to an amicable truce.

3. the process of making consistent or compatible.

 

Strong’s G2644 katallassō (verb): “reconciled”

1. to change, exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value

A. to reconcile (those who are at variance)

B. return to favour with, be reconciled to one

C. to receive one into favour

Noun Form: “adjustment of a difference, reconciliation, restoration to favour”

 

In order for us to draw close to God, we have to be brought into favor with Him. We have to be reconciled. The price for our lives has to be paid. We have to be adjusted to the equivalent value.

 

There’s a beautiful symbolism that God used to demonstrate the fact that Reconciliation had come to mankind: 2 Veils that represent separation from God.

#1 - Veil on Moses’s face: again symbolic of separation.

(Exodus 34:29-35)

It was a separation because the people were afraid of God. Moses had a close relationship with his God. He spoke Face to Face with God.

#2 - Veil in the Tabernacle: This veil separated the rest of the tabernacle from the mercy seat where the presence of God would appear.

The veil also hung in the temple in Jerusalem, separating the people from God, mirroring the separation of man from God by sin.

(Leviticus 16:2-3, 12, 15)

The priest could only go in once a year at Atonement for the atoning of his sins and the sins of the people. And Blood was necessary to atone for the sins of the people.

Paul used the Veil on Moses’s Face as a symbol associated with Reconciliation with God. Those who have been reconciled with God are no longer blinded to the Truth! This veil is no longer needed. This reconciliation and opening of our blinded eyes through the Forgiveness of Sins brings us hope!

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

When Christ died something miraculous happened that had never been seen before, a signaling that reconciliation was now possible between God and Man. Forgiveness was now possible:

Matthew 27:51

51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, (Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45)

We have been redeemed, we have been reconciled to God even while we were yet enemies (Romans 5:10). And now we can be at Peace with Our Creator. We can draw near to Him and have that relationship with Him that He desires as well! Now, in place of a veil we have a high priest through who’s name our prayers can be heard directly by God: (Hebrews 9, Hebrews 10)

(Forgiveness is about Reconciliation)

It’s about removing sin from our lives because it is sin which separates us from our God.

 

2. Forgiveness From God is a Gift We Ask For in Faith:

 

We seek after forgiveness from God because we desire that reconciliation. We desire that relationship with Him. We desire to be part of His eternal family.

When we truly and honestly ask for God’s forgiveness, we have to have the faith that He has forgiven us. We have to have faith that He will be merciful to us.

Isaiah 55:7

7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

God Is Faithful! He will do what He says He will do. We have to have faith that Christ’s sacrifice is being applied to our sins Directly! And that His death is powerful enough to cover our sins and wipe them away completely. He died Once For All and that includes us.

Ephesians 2:1, 4-5, 8, 13

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were afar off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Acts 10:34-35, 43 (Peter preaching to Cornelius and his Household)

34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that god shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

We have to ask God for forgiveness. We ask in Faith, because forgiveness isn’t something that can be seen by human eyes. We have to lay all our sins out for Him to see (even though He knows them).

The sins we don’t confess to Him will not be forgiven. But the sins we Do Confess (and Do Repent Of) will absolutely be forgiven. And removed from us “As far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).

David recorded many of his prayers in the Psalms for us to read. While he didn’t always name every sin in scripture for us to see, he shows us how to lay all our sins out and confess them to God. He acknowledged his own sins.  David also had faith that God would forgive him his sins and draw near to him. Something that we also must do.

Psalm 51:1-4, 7 (hyssop), 8-11, 14

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.

We can have confidence that Christ did come in the flesh and the penalty for our sins was laid upon Him. It takes great faith on our part to trust that what we have read in the scriptures is true, and that we have been forgiven by God.

(Forgiveness Is A Gift We Ask For In Faith)

 

3. Forgiveness Should Lead Us To Change:

 

We are not to use forgiveness we receive as an excuse to sin again. There are some who believe that they have been saved once and for all and that gives them permission by God to go and sin again, as long as they confess their sins. Thant’s not the truth of the matter.

Galatians 5:13

13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

We aren’t to be the ones who “crucify again for” [ourselves] “the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:6).

1 Peter 2:15-16

15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.

Hebrews 10:26-29

26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of Grace?

In reality, forgiveness from God gives us a clean start so we can turn from our wicked ways and lead a life in service to God. A life that God would be proud of us for living. One that more closely resembles that of His Son, Jesus Christ - a life without sin.

We have to “bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8). Otherwise the forgiveness that God gives to us was worthless. We must walk in the light, and practice the truth that God has revealed to us when He removed that veil that separated us from Him. Both in actions and attitude.

True Repentance does not give us an attitude of entitlement, but rather an attitude of appreciation, of Thanksgiving to God for this Wonderful Gift He has given us! An attitude that drives us to please God humbly.

Psalm 51:17

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.

Joshua 24:19-24

19 But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!” 22 So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord for yourselves, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses!” 23 “Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!”

Forgiveness should lead us to Change ourselves and allow God to change us from the inside out. We change our thinking, our hearts, our intentions, and our actions. Forgiveness lets us start fresh, as new men and women striving to be like God.

(Forgiveness Should Lead Us To Change)

 

4. Forgiveness From Others is Something We Should Seek:

 

Our sins are against God. But, our sins can affect other people. We don’t live in isolation, even during a pandemic. Our sins can drive other people away, or offend them, or hurt them directly. It should bother our conscience if we are offensive to other people. We have to have a right relationship with other people before we can have a right relationship with God.

This is Basic Christianity! (Christianity 101)

Matthew 5:23-24, 25-26

23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

 

(We have to think of this in the Context of our Attitude towards others

and trying to work things out with them when We have done something wrong).

 

24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

We can’t appear before God and offer Him praises and thanks for His forgiveness if we are in conflict with other people and have not tried to reconcile with them. We also can’t wait for others to come to us when we know we have done something wrong to them.

This is part of fulfilling scriptures like Romans 12:18: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

Part of making peace, and showing love to one another is: Being humble enough to admit when we are wrong. Working towards Being Reconciled to each other.

Being reconciled to each other, and demonstrating love for one another (in word & in deed) is completely necessary for anyone who claims to be a Christian.

1 John 4:20-21

20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Sometimes that means actually saying we are sorry, trying our best to show the person that we are truly sorry in our heart. Sometimes that means making restitution for what we may have done, if we have brought offense, if we have hurt someone.

God has left us instructions to make restitution for our sins against Him and against others.

Numbers 5:6-8

6 “Speak to the children of Israel: ‘When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit in unfaithfulness against the Lord, and that person is guilty, 7 then he shall confess the sin which he has committed. He shall make restitution for his trespass in full, plus one-fifth of it, and give it to the one he has wronged. 8 But if the man has no relative to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for the wrong must go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to the ram of the atonement with which atonement is made for him.

Confess our sins to God AND make restitution to those we have wronged. ((This is in addition to asking God for forgiveness for our sins))

Restitution for trespasses - any sin. Sometimes this was paying back what was stolen plus some.

It can take time to seek forgiveness from others. We might have to prove that we really have become a different person than we were before.

That doesn’t mean we put our relationship with God on hold while we work on our relationships with others. We work on relationships with God and people at the same time.

Sometimes it doesn’t work and the person we seek forgiveness from is not willing to give it to us. But we try our best, showing them love, and showing God love. Demonstrating to God that we are changing.

And of course, we confess that sin to God because we sin against God when we sin against another person.

We should seek after forgiveness - and restitution - from others we may have hurt. This, too, affects our relationship with God.

(Forgiveness From Others is Something We Should Seek)

 

5. Our Forgiveness of Others is Necessary for Our Own Forgiveness from God:

 

This is our opportunity to look at sin from God’s perspective.

Think about this for a moment. God is a parent who has children who He loves. They do wrong things, they sin against Him. They break the rules.

All He wants is for them to admit they were wrong, to say they are sorry, and “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). And when they do come before Him and repent, He forgives them.

When someone comes to us and asks forgiveness from us, we have the opportunity to be like God. Not that we can wipe away the consequences for their sins like God does, but we can let them know that we don’t hold any grudges against them. We can let them know that we forgive them for what they have done and that we desire to reconcile with them.

We have the chance to show them love like God has shown to us.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We are Ambassadors for Christ’s reconciliation, showing others the same forgiveness we have been given. Ambassadors for Reconciliation and the building of relationships.

Matthew 18:21-22

21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive Him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Forgiveness is not just something we do once and move on with our lives. Forgiveness and reconciliation with each other is something we have to work on Constantly! It is a way of life.

Matthew 18:23-35

23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

(A ridiculous amount of money that the servant could never hope to actually repay.)

25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’

This is like us when we ask forgiveness from God for the sins we have committed. And He forgives us our sins.

27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

But what happens when we are given the same opportunity to forgive others? This same servant who was forgiven did not remember the mercy he was shown.

28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’

(Quite a small amount compared to what the first servant owed.)

29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

And here is the lesson for us to learn from this story. This directly applies to us in our daily lives. This applies to our interactions with each other. This directly applies to our ability to forgive and our opportunity to be forgiven.

35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Matthew 5:7

7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

We have been shown great mercy! Do we really want to be like our God? Then we need to do the same for others. We have been shown immense love and we need to do the same.

Colossians 3:12-13

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

There will be times when a person has done wrong to us and they haven’t come to us. Or they can’t come to us because we’ve lost contact with them, or they have died, or they don’t know they have hurt us. People might feel like they can’t forgive us, or won’t ask for forgiveness. But we still have to be able to forgive them.

Even the vilest of sinners you can think of. We must be willing to forgive even them! After all, no sin is greater than another, and our sins have been forgiven, so why can’t we forgive others?

For Us, being able to forgive someone else has more to do with our relationship with God than it does our relationship with that other person. Forgiving someone else shows that we have faith in God’s forgiveness. Faith that God can forgive them. Trust that God can and will heal our hurt.

Our forgiveness from God has nothing to do with how other people treat us, but a lot to do with how we react to how others treat us.

Christ taught His disciples how to pray. He taught them that they should ask for forgiveness from God. He also taught them about showing the same forgiveness toward others.

Mark 11:25-26

25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.

This is Forgiveness in our Hearts! That means it is true forgiveness We don’t hold grudges. Or hold anyone’s previous sins against them. Forgiveness of the sins and hurts from others on our part, is absolutely essential if we want God to show us the same forgiveness and the same mercy.

(Our Forgiveness of Others is Necessary for Our Own Forgiveness from God)

——

Our sins have pushed us away from God and away from each other. We are here, as Christians, as children of God, striving to draw close to our Creator. Striving to have a relationship with Him. Striving to be reconciled to Him. The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His shed blood, makes it possible for God to grant us forgiveness from our sins so we can be reconciled to Him. So we can draw near to Him.

Forgiveness is how we are reconciled to God. It’s also how we are reconciled to each other when we have done each other wrong. Forgiveness is how we pass God’s Love along to one another, and demonstrate to God that we are being changed by His Spirit in us.