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Sermon
of 01-05-02
FORGIVENESS
by Dr. David A. Farmer, pastor
Scripture - Mark 11:25-26
I read a story one day about a man that hated his ex-wife. He hated her much more after the divorce. It was a bad divorce. She had cheated on him, yet she ended up with the kids, the house, the car, and the family dog. She got everything.
She lied to the judge about him. She told the Judge that her husband never listen to her or something like that, he wasn't sure because he wasn't really listening to her at the time. Anyway, he was very angry and wanted to get even.
Well, the story goes that one night an angel appeared to him in a dream. In the dream the angel says to him; "I will give you anything you request, - but know this, - your ex-wife will receive twice as much as you do. You can be rich. You can be healthy. You can be anything or anybody you like, but your ex will receive twice as much. What is your desire?"
The man thought real hard about it and then said; "Strike me blind in one eye!"
Friends, if there is one thing that psychology taught me is that holding ill feelings against someone even holding ill feelings against ourselves can cause an emotional and spiritual cancer that can and often will destroy our relationship with God. You did know that - didn't you?
Let's look at our Scripture again in more detail. Mark 11:25; "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
V:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Ever wondered what those two verses were all about? Does your toes hurt when you read them? You may be thinking; Pastor, does God mean what He says? He won't forgive unless I forgive others first? Doesn't God know what so and so did to me?
Listen to this quote I found in my Commentaries at home about this verse: "He who is unwilling to forgive others does not deserve to be forgiven. To extend forgiveness to him would be to condone his own unforgiving spirit. To expect of others what one is unwilling to do himself is the very essence of selfishness and sin. God's unwillingness to forgive one who harbors an unforgiving spirit is based on the need of the unforgiving person to overcome a basic character defect. God could not forgive such a person and at the same time be true to His own righteous character. Only when we are right with our fellow men can we be right with God." (SDA Comm. Vol. 5 pg. 348)
Friends, the way we as Christians treat our fellow bothers, sisters, friends, family, and our enemy is the real acid test of how genuine our religion is. (see SDA Comm Vol. 5 pg. 356)
There is another verse that can also be applied here. It is found in Matt. 7:12;
"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
Did you know that only those who make the Golden Rule their law of life and practice could expect admission to the kingdom of glory? Again from my Commentaries; "Our attitude toward our fellow men is an infallible index of our attitude toward God." (SDA Comm. Vol. 5 pg. 356)
Friends, not forgiving others is sin and can keep us out of Heaven. We must learn to forgive others before we can expect God to forgive us. We must learn to forgive as Christ forgives us.
Now you may ask: "Then how does Christ forgive us?" The Bible says Christ forgives us unconditionally. No strings attached. Listen to 1 John 1:9; "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
There is the formula to forgiveness. Confess our sins! Then He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin. And that is part of what Communion is all about. God forgiving us of our sin and we being willing to forgive others of the harm and pain they have caused us. It doesn't matter what they have said or did. Rather they hurt us personally or someone else! We are to forgive them before God can forgive us.
Now the Bible doesn't say we are to forget the hurt. We are not computers with a delete button. But it does say we are not to harbor on the hurt. And when you refuse to harbor on the pain it won't be long until you forget the grief.
As we partake of Communion this morning, ask God to help you love and forgive others the way He loves and forgives them. Unconditionally.
Before we will separate, please keep in mind what this service is about. It is a Holy Service. Keep your thoughts and conversation in this matter.
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