Mercy for Thousands

Thank you, Mr. McLean, and good morning, everyone! Three minutes till afternoon. So it's still good morning. It's great to be here with you in the AM. I hope you had a good week and are having a good Sabbath. Looking forward to the Days of Unleavened Bread and the Passover coming up in pretty short order here. Always an exciting time of the year. In the home office, things are flying along. Busy, busy, busy. One thing I might mention to you just yesterday, we successfully submitted a Beyond Today app to Amazon. Tom Disher is here. He was instrumental in making that happen. We worked with a third-party provider to make it happen. If you have an Amazon Fire TV box, it's kind of like the Apple TV or Roku box, but it's the Amazon box. If you have that, you can now right now download the Beyond Today channel. We're working on about eight other platforms that will roll out over the coming few months. So a little bit of news there as far as streaming technology and how all that works. Amazon Fire TV is now live with Beyond Today. There will also be a church app coming too for church services. The idea is that eventually you've got to watch church or Beyond Today on almost any streaming device you have, whether it's Apple TV, Roku, Amazon, Samsung, Toshiba, Sharp, LG. You buy a new TV and you've got a smart TV. You download the app and you can watch services of what's beyond today right there on your TV like a channel any time of day or night. Anyway, Amazon Fire TV is the first one that was launched. We've been on Roku for a while. That's kind of industry-pair at the moment, and we're working on a brand new one for Roku that's coming up as well. So just a little update for you. A lot's happening here in the office, and glad to be here with you this morning. So I'll get into the message I've prepared, and I'd like you to imagine this. You've never been so anxious and afraid in all your life because you're facing the death penalty. You're facing death row. And all that is left now is for the judge to pronounce your sentence. Your accuser has prosecuted you to the nth degree, and there's no getting out of the charges that you face. In fact, you know you're guilty, but you couldn't really admit it. The courtroom trial has been battling for weeks, and your strongest defense has been no match for the perceptions of the jury. And talk about fear and anxiety. Death row. So the sheriff leads you up to the front of the courtroom, and the judge asks you to stand. And the moment of your conviction has arrived. All it takes now is for the judge to utter his sentence upon you. Then the jury stands, and the jury foreman hands the judge what appears to be the obvious decision. You know you did it, and so did they. Despite your most elaborate and painstaking excuse for a defense. The courtroom falls silent, as the judge calls the court to order, and he asks the foreman, do you have a verdict? Of course, sweat is beating on your brow, your shirt is soaked as you anticipate the death sentence, your heart is pounding, your breath is heavy, your mouth is dry as you watch the foreman rise. Because the rest of your life depends on his words. And here they come. Your honor, the jury finds the defendant not guilty. Not guilty? Not guilty? And it's as if a huge weight has been removed from your shoulders, like a boulder that was weighing you down, dropping from your shoulders. The sheriff unlocks your handcuffs, and you hear the judge say, you're free to go.

Freedom from condemnation, freedom from death row, freedom from guilt. And so life suddenly takes on a new meaning. You're free from the prison cell. Imagine now all that you can accomplish. Free from the constant pressure of the charges against you. Free to begin a new life.

Because you have been released from all the charges.

Can you imagine how that would feel? I believe you can.

Everyone who has accepted the blood of Jesus Christ, repented, been baptized and received the Holy Spirit and become converted knows.

Do you ever feel a weight on your shoulders when you know you have to repent and have not yet done so? How long do you let it go on? And you know what? King David knew how that felt. It's a very inspiring story that we're going to read about in a moment in Psalm 32. It seems that David penned that particular Psalm after his sin with Bathsheba, or perhaps from some other major incident. But it shows that he knew how it felt to have God as his condemning judge, facing for all intents and purposes the death penalty. But then David expresses the joy and relief of experiencing God's forgiveness. Psalm 32 is known as a mass skill or a psalm of instruction. It instructs us on the blessings of God's forgiveness.

And it asks ourselves, how open am I to instruction? How open are you to instruction when it comes to the Word of God? You may want to make a note of Proverbs 19 verse 20. Read it to you. Proverbs 19 verse 20. Listen to counsel and receive instruction that you may be wise. And Psalm 32 is a psalm of instruction. The promise of forgiveness should compel us to confess our sins to God. But the burden of guilt is felt first, that weight on our shoulders. There's a great lesson in this during the Passover and Unlivered Bread season for us. So I've titled the sermon today Mercy for Thousands.

Mercy for Thousands. Because we're going to examine Psalm 32 and see just how deep God's mercy and forgiveness is for those who seek Him. And I've got two main sections that we'll cover today. I'll mention those in a moment. But to begin with, let's go back to a famous passage in the Old Testament, Exodus chapter 34. It's the time when God miraculously carved out the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. And as you recall, Moses ascended to Mount Sinai with a second set of stones, just like the first ones that he smashed. And so God was going to redo the Ten Commandments tablets. Look at Exodus 34 verse 1, if you've turned over there by now. The Lord said to Moses, cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. And I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Moses is probably thinking, I know, thanks for the reminder. Verse 4, so he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone. Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him, stood with Moses, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. So it's like God is proclaiming his own majesty and power here. Verse 6, the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands. That's where I got the title of the sermon. Keeping Mercy for Thousands, Forgiving Iniquity and Transgression and Sin. By no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation. So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped. This here in Exodus 34 is a powerful announcement of God's gracious mercy. Him forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and extending mercy to thousands. It's just a big number. He extends mercy to everyone who turns to him. And no doubt, here was forgiving Moses for breaking the first set of commandments. He says, okay, I'm going to write on these ones like the first two that you broke, and by the way, I'm very merciful. So it's a pronouncement of who God is. It's His very nature. He's a merciful God at heart.

In the message here today, I want to cover two aspects of merciful forgiveness. The first one is receiving God's forgiveness, and the second one is forgiving others. So the two main things we'll talk about. It would seem that King David knew of God's incredible mercy and forgiving will. If only he would turn to God. The kings of old were required to personally read the law of God. That was one of their assignments when they became king, to study the ancient scriptures, the ancient scrolls. So David would be familiar with this pronouncement at the beginning of Exodus chapter 34 about how gracious and merciful God is. So first of all, number one, receiving God's forgiveness. And this does particularly apply at this time of year as we look forward to the Passover ceremony once again. So turn now to Psalm 32, and notice what King David wrote in this regard. And Psalm 32 begins in verse 1 with a superscript. It says, a Psalm of David, so we know that this is one he wrote, a contemplation. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. And so we think, I wonder what sin David was thinking of at this time. And the superscription here of Psalm 32 refers to it as a amaskill in most translations. The New King James calls it a contemplation. The Greek Septuagint translation takes this obscure word to mean instruction. So it's a contemplation. It's an instruction. It's amaskill. And it appears in the superscription of 13 Psalms, like it does here. And the term may even designate a teaching song, as we see in verse 7 about a song. The Nelson Study Bible states in its introductory note on Psalm 32, quote, it is generally believed that this Psalm, like Psalm 51, had its origin in David's response to God following his infamous affair with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, end quote. So this conclusion is based on the fact that David waited here, as we'll see, for a long period before confessing the sin mentioned in the Psalm. And the impression also that his sin is public knowledge by now, and he's able to write about it as an example and as a lesson, as a contemplation, as instruction. Verse 2, we read, Blessed is a man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

So we read, Happy is a man who no longer deceives himself. There in verse 2. Happy is a man whose sin is covered in verse 1. Happy is a man who is no longer guilty in God's eyes. There in verse 2. But David then contrasts the joy of being forgiven with the misery of hiding his sin. Verse 3 shows that it took David a little while to reach this point, to remember that, as Exodus 34 reads, God is merciful and gracious and long-suffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands. They would kind of forgot that part for a little while here. Because look at verse 3. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through all my groaning all the day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me. My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. So David did not find joy in God's mercy when he tried to pretend that his sin hadn't happened. And this heaviness may have gone on for months before he finally acknowledged his sin.

As the Nelson Study Bible says again about these verses, quote, His silence was a stubborn resistance to admitting guilt, a hope that in time the sin and its penalty would go away. No one would find out. The more David delayed his confession, the more he suffered. David realized it was not just his conscience or his feelings that were assaulting him, but the heavy hand of God, end quote. So it's like you and me before the courtroom and the judge, except here the judge is God. There's no getting out of the charges that David faces. No getting out of any charges we would face for sin. You know you're guilty. You know you did it. And so your body reacts with the sweat and the pounding of the heart, the dry mouth. Day and night, God's hand is heavy upon us when we don't confess our sins. David felt that. We see David acknowledging the situation, but then acknowledging the solution. When David did at last confess in repentance, God forgave him, because God does extend mercy to thousands if you turn to him. Verse 5, then David says, so then I acknowledge my sin to you, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. For this cause, everyone who is godly, if you want to be a godly person, shall pray to you in a time when you may be found. Surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. So what we're seeing here is repentance and forgiveness are the starting points of a relationship with God or a restoring of a relationship with God. A flood of trouble follows sin. We read in verse 6, but the grief that comes from hiding sin will not come near those who repent and take refuge in God. Verse 7, you are my hiding place. You shall preserve me from trouble. You shall surround me with the songs of deliverance. And this Psalm is one of the hymns that I handle today. They are blessed who are forgiven, to whom the Lord imputes no sin. You probably remember it. But now notice verse 8, because it appears that God is no longer being addressed, but now God is actually doing the talking.

Some believe that God is himself directly speaking here in verses 8 and 9. Verse 8, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. So once David acknowledged his sin, repented, then God says, now I can instruct and teach you in the way you should go, and I will guide you with my eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you. Once again, the Nelson study of Bible states about these verses that, quote, the speaker changes. The Lord comes into the psalm to instruct the people. He exhorts the people not to be like a horse that will not go where the rider wants it to go. It has to be disciplined because it is stubborn, end quote. So in verses 8 and 9, we're told, don't be stubborn when it comes to sin and repenting and being forgiven because, remember, God is merciful. That's how He is. That's His nature. Don't be stubborn in seeking Him and repenting. Verse 10, many sorrows shall be to the wicked, but He who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround Him. You know, mercy to thousands. Mercy will surround those who trust in the Lord. So be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous and shout for joy while you upright in heart. So despite the worst of sins, which appears here to be David talking about his sin with Bathsheba and then making sure Uriah got killed, making sure her husband got killed, despite the worst of sins, when forgiven, when repentant, you can rejoice in the Lord and shout for joy when you're forgiven. King David came to remember the great mercy of his God. Although, as we see, it took him a little while, and the heavy hand of God was on him until he did that. It's a great reminder for us during this Passover and Unleavened Bread season as we examine ourselves and see where we stand before God as we take the Passover ceremony. It's all about turning to God in repentance, receiving forgiveness, and then receiving mercy, having the heavy weight of sin lifted. And none of it's possible without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins and then a new life as brothers and sisters of his. During this time of the year, during the Passover service, we also participate in the foot-washing ceremony. There may be an aspect to this that you've not considered before. As Jesus knelt down to wash his disciples' feet, no doubt he pondered where they had come from, from where he had called them, and yet how far they had yet to go in their road to conversion. Perhaps Jesus thought, do they deserve to have their feet washed by me, by their Savior, as he washed John's feet?

Perhaps it came to mind that it was John who wanted to destroy a whole city in a flash of lightning. It was the same John who demanded that Jesus not allow people who were not a part of his inner circle to join the group. Was John worthy to have his feet washed by his Savior because of such behavior? And then there was James. Perhaps it would be good to skip over washing his feet. After all, James wanted the seat of honor and special treatment in the kingdom. No thanks to his mother. He certainly didn't seem humble. Let him wash his own feet. And how about Philip? He had little faith and told Jesus there wasn't enough food to feed the large crowd that was gathering. He failed the test of faith in what Christ could do. And everyone knows the story of Peter. Sure, he walked on water for a moment before sinking desperately into the sea and having to be rescued by Jesus. He lost his belief as well. And then he told Jesus, you won't have to die. And then he drew his sword. And as happened later that night, the disciples fell asleep, maybe snoring while Jesus was praying to the Father. They couldn't stay away on the most crucial night of Jesus' human life. The disciples seemed to be fair-weather friends. And as we think on these accounts, we know that during Jesus' most sore hour of trial, not one disciple stood with him. A stranger had to be called to carry the cross. Perhaps the disciples should be washing Jesus' feet, not the other way around. But no, as verse 10 reminds us here in Psalm 32, but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. And Jesus, in his very nature, was merciful. Jesus had mercy on the disciples because God is a merciful God. It's who he is. Jesus was forgiving and kind for the disciples' sins and shortcomings. He knelt before them, took their feet in his hands, and washed their feet. And as we understand, in washing the disciples' feet, Jesus is also figuratively washing ours. You and I are his modern-day disciples. We're being cleansed, not from dirty feet. We're being cleansed, though, from our sins through his blood. The cleansing is not just a gesture. It's a necessity. Christ said in John 13, if you want to make it out of it, verses 14 and 15, if I then your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. It's in John 13. He also says, for I've given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. You'll also remember that Jesus answered Peter in verse 8, if I do not wash you, you have no part in me. To be fully part of the body, we have to be washed clean, and it's by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And Jesus did not say, if you wash your own feet, he said, no, I have to wash your feet because we can't cleanse our own sin. We can't wash our own feet. We cannot remove our sin. Our feet must be in Christ's hands, just like it was for the disciples. Our life must be in Christ's hands. So now let's look at the second part of this equation, because this leads us into it. Once we understand how important it is for us to repent and receive God's forgiveness, to receive his mercy, to have the heavy weight of sin removed from our shoulders, let's now look at forgiving one another. Part two, forgiving others. Let's recall the story of Joseph first, forgiving his brothers. You no doubt remember it well. Genesis 32. Let's read a few verses in Genesis 32. Starting in verse 3. Genesis 32 verse 3. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children.

So he had a favorite. And it's because he was the son of his old age. Now he was the baby in the family, Joseph. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that the father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him. They could not speak peaceably to him. And then Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more. I won't read the dream, but you know, he said, I'm going to be more important than all you guys one day. Then verse 17.

So Joseph went looking for his brothers, and he found them in Dothan. And when they saw him far off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, look, this dreamer is coming. Come therefore, let us now kill him. They really hated him. They cast him into some pit. And we shall say some wild beast has devoured him, which we'll see what would become of his dreams. Verse 21. But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands and said, let's not kill him. No, let's just, you know, like sell him or something, you'll put him in a pit. You know how the story goes, though. Joseph was eventually sold by his brothers and ended up in Egypt. And through an amazing course of events, he becomes the number two ruler in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.

And then, many years later, his father, Israel, or Jacob, dies. So let's skip forward to Genesis chapter 50 now. Genesis chapter 50. And in verse seven, we read, So Joseph went up to bury his father, who had died, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh. So a huge entourage. You know, the whole secret service came along. The elders of his house and all the elders of the land of Egypt. So it was a really big, big funeral procession. Verse eight, as well as all the house of Joseph and his brothers, who hated him, and his father's house. Only their little ones in their flocks and herds they left in the land of Goshen. So it was a huge procession to go back and bury Joseph. Sorry, to bury Jacob. Of course, you remember, it's this time of year that we remember Goshen. That's where all the Israelites were now living, was Goshen. And during the Exodus, that's where they left from, was Goshen. Verse 14, and after he'd buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who went up with him to bury his father. And when Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they got worried. They said, perhaps Joseph will hate us and may actually repay us for all evil we did to him. So they sent messengers to Joseph saying, before your father died, he commanded saying, thus you shall say to Joseph, when I die, you better say this, I beg you, please forgive me. Please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sins, for they did evil to you. Now, please forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father. And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. So if Joseph judged the situation from the perspective of his own human nature, he would now avenge himself on those who had hated and tried to destroy him. After all, he was the number two man in Egypt now. He could have done it. So Joseph's brothers, trapped and unable to flee, attempted to butter him up by humbling themselves. And then they pleaded with him as the servants of their dad's God, as servants of Jacob's God. And then Joseph was brought to tears by their plea. Verse 18, then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, behold, we are your servants. And they humbled themselves. Joseph said to them, do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? Joseph directs him not to fear him, but to fear God, to humble themselves and seek God's forgiveness. And he assures them of his own kindness to them. Verse 20, but as for you, you meant evil against me. He says, I know that you tried to kill me. But God bent it for good in order to bring about, as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones. And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. So those we love, we forgive. We must not only do well for, but speak kindly to all. So Joseph had some big wrongs committed against him. Are we different to Joseph when he comes to forgiveness of wrongs committed against us? No, we shouldn't be. There is no difference. And the example was set by Jesus Christ and outlined in the Gospels on how we are to treat one another. We are to forgive. It includes forgiveness and not bearing ill or a grudge against another. Turn to Colossians chapter 3. I just want to read two verses, verses 12 and 13. Colossians 3 verses 12 and 13.

Paul told the Colossians 3 verse 12, Therefore, as the elect of God, if you are God's people, holy and beloved, if you are a holy person, put on tender mercies kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another.

And verse 13 ends, If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, even as he washes your feet, so you also must do.

Now, by contrast, how does the world tell us to deal with life's injustices? How does Hollywood deal with a complaint against another? A wrong deed.

Now, the Godfather movie tells us about every other movie, kill your opponent, destroy your enemy, get revenge. Violence is the answer.

And it's like that for most every movie scenario, isn't it? But that's not what we are to do when it comes to revenge. We are to forgive. Look at Matthew 18. It's the parable of the unforgiving servant, also known as the ungrateful servant, or the unmerciful servant, or the wicked servant. The parable of the unforgiving servant is a parable of Jesus, which appears in only one of the Gospels in the New Testament. It only appears in Matthew 18. And according to this parable, it's important to forgive others because we are forgiven by God.

And here it's illustrated by the negative example of the unforgiving servant. In Matthew 18 verse 21, we read, Peter came to him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me? And I forgive him? Maybe seven times, you think? Jesus said to him, not seven times, but at the seventy times seven. Christ was saying there is no limit. Okay? Therefore, verse 23, then Christ breaks into the parable, therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

Now, one talent back then equaled about six thousand denarii. So, this is sixty million denarii. What was owed? Verse 25, but as he was not able to pay, yeah, no kidding. Who can pay back sixty million denarii? 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. The servant, therefore, fell down before him saying, Master, have patience with me and I'll pay you all.

Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt. And as you know, the master here, figuratively, is Jesus Christ, forgiving the debt. The point is, this debt was unpayable. Of course he couldn't pay. The figure was so high, he could never pay it back. It required the mercy of the master. Sixty million denarii was much more than all the cash he even held in the government's bank accounts back then.

It'd be like someone coming up to you today and say, saying to you, you owe me ten billion dollars. You're what? I can't pay that. Of course you can't. This is the kind of debt that is unpayable. Remember Psalm 32 in the lesson of King David, the more David delayed his confession, the more he suffered. And David realized it was not just his conscience or his feelings that were assaulting him, but it was the heavy hand of God, the heavy debt that he knew he owed.

And you and I incurred debt because of our own sinfulness. But the sacrifice of Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to be washed clean. We are forgiven upon our repentance. And the lesson is, don't let the weight of guilt stay on your shoulders. Because God is merciful and gracious, keeping mercy for thousands. Repentance and forgiveness are the starting points of a relationship with God and of restoring a relationship with Him.

So here we read, the Master forgave his servant. Verse 28, But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii, not sixty million, one hundred. And he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what you owe.

And so his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, Have patience with me and I'll pay you all. It was only a hundred denarii. Verse 30, But the first servant would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 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.

Then his Master, after he called him, said to him, You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you? And his Master was angry and delivered him to the torturous until he should pay all that was due to him. And so my Heavenly Father will also do to you, to each of you, if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.

The talent in his parables, like I said, about six thousand denarii. The first debt is six hundred thousand times bigger than the second debt. It's interesting that the words used here, ten thousand talents, the first debt, is the largest Greek numeral called the myriad. It's the largest number that they had in common use, a myriad. And a talent was the largest unit of currency. So ten thousand talents was the largest easily described debt. You say ten thousand talents, like I said, it's saying a billion dollars or something today. Think of the biggest number you can. And I found out that for comparison, the combined annual government taxes of Judea, Samaria and Edomia at that time was only six hundred talents.

So all the money in the government's bank accounts was six hundred talents, and this was a ten thousand talent debt. They figured that ten thousand talents would be about two hundred thousand years wages. You have to work for two hundred thousand years to pay off that debt. It was impossible. Impossible debt because it's the debt that we owe to God that can only be paid by Jesus Christ.

But then we say, well, is it really important how many denarii there are in a talent? How does this relate to the government taxes of the day? What we actually see here in verse 35 is the most important point of the parable. It's not just the vast difference between the two debts, but that each of us must forgive one another from his or her heart. It has to be true forgiveness from the heart. There in verse 35. The lesson here is to extend mercy and to forgive one another. Let's think about the passive of foot washing ceremony again. Because Christ said in John 13, If I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. He said, I've given you an example that you should do as I've done to you. And in many ways, it's about forgiveness.

In the ancient east, everyone's feet got caked in dust and mud and dirt, and the servants of the household saw to it that the guest's feet were washed. When they entered a home. And in Jesus' role in washing their feet, he was taking on the role of a servant. And we have to admit that we've walked dirty roads in this life. That our feet have become caked in mud and dust and sin. And Christ washes us clean through his sacrifice for our sins.

You may recall what the Apostle John wrote in 1 John chapter 1. He said, if we say we have no sin, we're fooling ourselves. All of us get dirty feet from time to time. We mustn't fool ourselves. And we will never be pure again until we admit our guilt. We have to stand before the eternal judge and repent, and then our death sentence will be pardoned. When we allow the sacrifice of Christ to cleanse us, we are able to then wash the feet of those who have hurt us, to forgive our neighbor, to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Perhaps this is why the foot-washing service is reserved in the Passover service for baptized members, for those who have already figuratively accepted Christ washing their feet. We better understand what it means then to wash someone else's feet in that ceremony. This is a key element in forgiving our fellow human beings. We cannot forgive anyone more than God has forgiven us. The debt we owe to God is so much bigger. Only by letting Him wash our feet and forgive us of our sins do we then fully understand what it means to wash someone else's feet.

You note in the story in the book of John, when Jesus finished washing all of His disciples' feet, notice that that included Judas, His betrayer. He washed Judas' feet as well. He gave his traitor equal attention.

God will never call us to do what He has not already done.

We can forgive our enemies, not just our friends. We can love our enemies, not just our friends.

I have a small personal story about foot washing. It was a time many years ago when I filed into the room set aside for the Passover foot washing service, where I was paired up with a fellow employee who eventually left the United Church of God. At the time, we did not see eye to eye on the direction of the Church's administrative team, the President, or some on the Council of Elders. The relationship between the two of us was extremely strained.

We both knew it, and there we were paired up to wash one another's feet.

It was just a short while later that this person left United to help start another offshoot organization, and he was instrumental in causing it to happen. But you know what? As I washed his feet, a certain peace came over me. I forgave him in my heart. I did not agree with what I knew he was about to do in betraying all of us, but I had peace of mind as I washed his feet.

And the whole ceremony is very important for us to consider very carefully each Passover season. There's a big lesson in it. God forgives us, and we forgive one another. Christ washes our feet, and then we figuratively wash others' feet as well. So let's conclude here. Psalm 32 is a powerful notice of God's gracious mercy. It is of him forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and extending mercy to thousands to all who will turn to him.

Remember the two aspects of mercy and forgiveness. Receiving God's forgiveness for our death penalty sentence, and then forgiving others for much more minor things.

Repentance and forgiveness are the starting points of a relationship with God, of restoring a relationship with him too. And it's a great reminder for us during the Passover and Unleavened Bread season. It's about turning to God in repentance, receiving his forgiveness, and receiving mercy. And he is very merciful, as Moses noted.

It's in his nature, and for us, none of it's possible without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins and our new life in the family of God, the sons and daughters of his. The parable of the unforgiving servant that we just read is a message to all of us. As God forgave you, we also forgive one another.

King David came to recognize how heavy the burden of sin was upon his shoulders, and that it could only be relieved by seeking repentance and forgiveness from God. When King David remembered just how merciful God really was, he knew he could do it. This season of Unleavened Bread is a time when we remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins, and will be on our minds now for the next three weeks. And through his resurrection, we remind him that we have a new life in him. We are saved by his life. We take on the new man, and we walk in newness of life, with the risen Christ living in us now through the power of the Holy Spirit.