Forgiving the Unforgivable

One thing to talk about, another to practice.  How many times does the phrase in the Lord's prayer catch in our throats as we pray, "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us."  We get that first part, we know we have the need to ask for and accept forgiveness, but to forgive as we are forgiven . . . as we are forgiven . . . how many times have we struggled with that part.  The two are linked.  Not in the sense that God withholds forgiveness until we learn to forgive well (that is not the point at all), but rather that our ability to forgive is directly tied to our understanding of how much we are forgiven.  Once we have fully understood this, and only then, does the second really become possible.

There is a freedom that comes from the ability to forgive.  It does not always come all at once, and sometimes it is not easy, because we are hurt, we are afraid, and because we want things to be taken seriously.  And yet, when we are willing to forgive, when we are willing to extend grace as freely as it has been extended to us, we are freed.  We know longer have to be encumbered with the need for revenge or even justice, because we know that that issue has been addressed and has been resolved in ways and on levels that go deeper than we can ever imagine in Jesus.  We no longer have to worry about things being dealt with, they have been, and we can be free from he burden of having to see to it that that happens.  This is good news for us on multiple levels.

Exploring the contours of forgiveness is what Pastor Jon explores with us this morning.  If you would like to listen to the sermon again, or perhaps for the first time, you access our sermon library by clicking here.

Debbie Morris' Story - Interview with Dwight Nelson