Posts Tagged ‘Forgiveness’

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Day 362: Genesis 1–Revelation 21 — The Long Journey Home

Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

I do not remember a lot of the things preachers have said throughout my childhood, but I do remember one from brother Ken Hoover who ministered at the Southwest church of Christ in Phoenix when I was in Jr. High. He preached a series of sermons taking one book of the Bible at a time and he would start out with the theme of the book which was always “The glory of God and the salvation of mankind through his Son Jesus Christ.” The message is the same throughout. It’s a message of repentance, forgiveness, love, mercy, and grace. There’s some wrath and punishment thrown in there when necessary, but that is not the goal.

My family (12 of us on my wife’s side) have just returned from a 2 day trip to visit my sister-in-law and her 1 year old son at the rehab facility where they currently reside. She has had many struggles and taken many wrong paths, but we can finally see her starting to take responsibility for them and seeking God and family to help her change her heart and her actions. We have prayed and solicited prayers for her over the years and we finally begin to see the fruit of God’s working in her. She has a long way to go, but God is good and willing to forgive. May we all be as merciful as He is. Our visit was such a joy to all of us and we hope she will be encouraged to continue on her path.

When I read today’s passage in Zechariah 1, it really struck a chord:

“The LORD was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty. Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD. Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever? But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors?
“Then they repented and said, ‘The LORD Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’”

This passage could come from any of the prophets or really anywhere in the Bible as this is the message throughout, which is why I titled the blog post Genesis 1 – Revelation 21. As fellow blogger Powell would say “Read the whole thing. It’s good for you.”

The message of forgiveness is to each one of us, as “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. As we close out this year and start a new, may we remember the message: that God loved me so much that he sent His Son to live and die for me so that I might be with him in this life and the one to come.

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Posted in Forgiveness, Grace, Love, Mercy, Repentance, Salvation | 1 Comment »

Day 348: Daniel 9 — For Great Mercy

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

In Daniel 9 we read the fervent prayer of Daniel lamenting the sins of Israel. It’s not a finger pointing. In fact he uses the first person plural throughout. Lots of “we”. He includes himself in it all even though he was likely very young when all of it was going on. At no point does he shirk the responsibility or blame anyone else. He bears the full brunt of the shame and punishment for the nation he loves. Quite a different picture from what we would expect, a distinct contrast to the Pharisee that Jesus mentioned who was so thankful to not be as sinful the tax collector just around the corner.

Later, in his prayer for mercy he once again assumes a posture of humility. As he pleads for forgiveness, it is not because he or Israel deserves mercy but because God is righteous. “We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.” And it is for God’s own sake, not his own that Daniel asks for mercy.

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Posted in Blame, Daniel, Forgiveness, Mercy, Repentance, Sin | Comments Off

Day 316: Jeremiah 37:1-39:18; Philemon 1-25 — Influence

Friday, November 12th, 2010

We have read and written about leadership recently in the context of elders and deacons. Today in Philemon we see an excellent model of leadership in Paul’s relationship with Philemon. The word is influence. Paul made it very clear that he was not ordering Philemon to accept Onesimus back kindly even though he had a right to do so. He used his influence with Philemon to persuade him into a course of action that would benefit all. By doing more than merely following orders, Philemon would be given a chance to mature as a Christian and develop a different kind of relationship with his servant. And the servant Onesimus would get a first hand glimpse of the kind of mercy that God gives through the actions of his master.

I love the quote from Josh McDowell “Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.” The key ingredient of a leader is the relationship with the followers such that they desire to follow not out of compulsion or even duty, but out of trust and love.

What a stark contrast with the mushy spined leadership of Zedekiah in Jeremiah 37-39. He bends to the whims of whoever is in front of him waving the biggest threat. He is scared of everyone (God, Jeremiah, Babylon, even his own officials). And in the end, he loses everything he has.

A struggle for me is maintaining that relationship with those I lead whether it is at work or at home with my children so that I may have the right kind of influence and not lead people down a destructive path like Zedekiah.

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Day 313: Jeremiah 31:1-32:15, 2 Timothy 4:9-Titus 1:5 — Real Estate

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

It’s interesting some of the object lessons that God uses to get his points across. We find one here in Jeremiah 32 involving a real estate transaction. With the recent economic woes in our country over the last 2 years centered around the housing market, many people are panicking that their homes will never sell or be worth what they once were. Many economic forecasters are optimistic and many are pessimistic about a recovery. Whatever the case, no one really knows what will happen till it happens. It seems that the war torn nation of Israel has suffered a similar dip in their real estate market. The king was mad at Jeremiah for being so negative about their outlook. So Jeremiah tells him a story. God had Jeremiah invest in a field as a demonstration of the recovery that would one day come. He didn’t say when and hinted that it might be a long way off, but it would come.

For this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land. (Jeremiah 32:15)

Jeremiah 31 is all about God restoring Israel and no longer punishing the whole nation for the sins of some (or many). Each person would be responsible for their own sins. It’s a message of forgiveness and mercy and a message of hope for those who have remained faithful against great trials and opposition.

Paul also practices a bit of forgiveness and mercy in 2 Timothy 4:9-18. First he has forgiven Mark for his past desertion. And to the metalworker who did him harm he urged forgiveness (tempered with caution at further interactions). He left judgment and punishment up to the Lord.

May we have the hope of forgiveness for our many transgressions and the kindness to forgive others and show mercy when they sin against us.

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Day 236: Psalm 51 — “Only a broken heart is big enough for God to dwell in!”

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

I think it was C.S. Lewis that said, “Only a broken heart is big enough for God to dwell in.” Read Psalm 51 and you will experience the depth of David’s sin against God. Have you ever been haunted by a wrong for a long period of time? Have you forgotten the meaning of sin because we live in a world that wants to rationalize our wrong or blame someone else? If we have guilt with no guilt feelings, then our spiritual nervous system is out of whack. If we have guilt feelings after we have been forgiven then we are basically neurotic, unable to find peace, and unable to accept the powerful sin-forgiving work of Jesus Christ. I think David provides us with a penitential psalm and teaches us a lot about the path to asking for forgiveness and obtaining renewal from God. What can we do about our guilt problem?

  1. We ought to realize that guilt is a “good” and “natural thing” that points us back to our relationship with God. It is a potential blessing that moves us closer to forgiveness.
  2. It should not mark defeat for us but a help. If it is not then we may have other problems that need to be dealt with.
  3. We must remember who God is. He is above all things and loves all. He gave His son for us to become spiritually healthy.
  4. We need to pray. We need to refuse to give up, let guilt do its work, until it leads us to repentance and “a broken heart that only God can dwell in.”

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Posted in Forgiveness, God, Psalms | 2 Comments »

Day 97: Luke 5:27-32 — Associating with Sinners

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

outcastLuke shows us that Jesus’ ministry is to reach out to outcasts of society (Luke 5:27-32). In our section for today Jesus initiates contact with sinners. The Pharisees and scribes respond negatively and reject such fellowship with the unrighteous. The contrast between the separatism of these Jewish officials and the outreach of our Savior is clear. Jesus’ example teaches us as a church community that we need to seek and associate with the outcast as a part of our mission. Those of us who might frown on contact with the outcast and sinners may need to consider repentance for it is clear that this negative attitude is not condoned by Jesus. Jesus has gone from forgiving sinners to openly associating with them and calling them to discipleship. Mission requires more than casual contact. Jesus engages with those in the culture. They sense that he cares for them and does not just preach at them. Thus, this passage exposes the personal character of his mission. It is contact with Jesus, learning of his concern, association with him (and his church), forgiveness of sins, and the call to discipleship that changes a sinner.

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Posted in Discipleship, Forgiveness, Jesus, Luke, Sin | 2 Comments »

Day 79: Mark 14:32-52 — Wake up!

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

“are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Mark 14:37-39

Personally, I think sleep is overrated, but I must admit I’ve fallen asleep in some pretty inappropriate places. Church pew, behind the wheel of a moving automobile, in an academic class. Uh huh. You’ve been there too? How about in the copilot’s seat of a military jet aircraft, during what the Air Force called a “critical phase of flight”, and with the Deputy Commander in the left seat? Ouch, I’m guilty of that one too (and the quantity of people who knew about that before today numbers in the single-digits).

I have what may seem like a couple of random observations about today’s New Testament reading…

First, I notice Jesus told Peter, James, and John to “Stay here and keep watch” (Mark 14:34). All right, I’m thinking they’re thinking “keep watch for what?” They weren’t, after all, in a high crime area, as far as we know. With the benefit of 2000 years of hindsight, certainly we know what The Master meant by “keep watch”, but as of yet the disciples still didn’t believe He was going to be crucified. In my situation, I knew what to watch for — we were soon to give several thousand gallons of fuel to 4 fighter jets, and I needed to know where they were. I believed; the disciples did not. We both were guilty of sleeping on the job.

Second, how many “disciples” are included in verse 32: “Jesus said to His disciples…”? We have every reason to believe there were 12 on that trip to the Garden — Jesus and the 11 apostles (the 12, minus Judas). Jesus left 8 of them, and went farther into the Garden with the “inner 3″: Peter, James, and John. We don’t know the exact number who were sleeping, because it’s not important, but it’s my opinion it was all 11 of them. What we do know is who got the tongue-lashing — Peter. “‘Simon’, He said to Peter, ‘are you asleep?’”

I think there are at least 3 valuable lessons to take away from this reading:

  1. Because we believe, and we know what to watch for, we need to be ever-vigilant and watch for the devil and his temptations. It’s when we think we’re the safest that we’re the most vulnerable (1 Cor 10:12).
  2. The more you have been given, the more is expected of you. Jesus had already told Peter that He would use him to build His church (Matt 16:18), and Jesus clearly had more in store for those 3 than he did the other 8. Peter, of all people, He hoped would be strong enough to overcome the flesh. Which brings us to point 3…
  3. How many times have you heard, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”, and it was used as an excuse? I don’t think Jesus meant it as an excuse for his apostles, explaining that it was OK for them to have gone to sleep. I think He was merely stating the same reality that Paul was stating in Romans 7: we know the good we should do, we want to do the good we know we should do, but we still find ourselves unable to overcome our human weakness. It’s not an excuse, it’s reality — but that doesn’t mean it’s not sin! Notice in v. 38 it’s not Peter telling Jesus, “but Master, I just wasn’t strong enough to stay awake”. No, it’s Jesus acknowledging that Peter was indeed human, and though Peter made a mistake, the Divine Lord in His mercy knew it wasn’t because of Peter’s weak heart, but because of his weak flesh.

Longer post than normal today; hope you’re still with me this far. These were important lessons for me to learn; I hope we’re all better equipped each day to rely on the touch of the Master’s hand to lift us up and help us in our weakness.

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Posted in Grace, Jesus, Mark, Prayer, Temptation, Worship | 3 Comments »

Day 30: Matthew 18:21-35 — Do the math

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

Any parent understands the concept of a child breaking the rules 7 times. I suggest any parent also understands the concept of a child breaking the rules 490 times. We love our children, we forgive, we go on.

21Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22

Not only is forgiveness a little tougher when the child is not my own, but it’s even tougher when it’s not a child at all. When it’s an adult who knows better and wallows in the pig sty anyway, it’s much harder to forgive. Scripture doesn’t say, but Peter’s mouth must’ve gaped when Jesus said to forgive “not…seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

Some people have trouble distinguishing grace and mercy. (Grace is giving someone something good when he doesn’t deserve it. Mercy is not giving someone something bad when he does deserve it.) Jesus gave two great examples of mercy — one applied and one denied. One slave was forgiven a debt of over a million dollars, but he wouldn’t forgive his fellow slave a debt of a few dollars, at which point slave 1 was thrown into jail to be tortured forever.

Jesus says this is how we will be forgiven — if we show mercy, we will be shown mercy. Sound familiar? (Matthew 6:14-15)

For some people, the most difficult forgiveness to give is to forgive themselves. One possibility is that they don’t feel truly forgiven by God. Has God promised to forgive and cleanse you with the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7)? God has kept His promise; if you are His child, you are forgiven.

Question:

Can you identify with someone who can’t forgive himself? Do you think this is an implied rejection of the forgiveness God has already given?

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Posted in Forgiveness, Matthew, Mercy | 2 Comments »

Day 16: Genesis 32-33 — Apprehension

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

I had noticed her already — somewhat quiet, attractive, nearly my age. Having been burned so many times before, I wanted to make fairly certain she would respond favorably before I made a move. So I sat through the day, pretending to mind my own business, pretending not to notice when she cracked a smile, hoping she didn’t catch me staring at her. Now here I am laying on the floor playing a board game, and she starts massaging my back with her feet.

Now, just months shy of 40 years later, I still let her massage my back once in a while.

So what is it about apprehension? This is what keeps the Maalox people in business, isn’t it?

He hesitates to ask a girl out because he’d rather not go out with her than risk having her say “no”. Then when he gets the courage to ask her, he discovers she would have asked first if she thought he would have said “yes”.

After applying for her dream job, and convinced she won’t even get an interview, she not only aces the interview, the salary she’s offered is more than the highball she was originally going to throw at them.

Twins. One the indoors-type, the other very much a play-outside-until-you-have-to-find-him-for-suppertime type. One, a sly mama’s boy who knows how to get what he wants even when it isn’t rightfully his. The other, a do-what-dad-said daddy’s boy.

Time heals all wounds, right? Not so fast, bigamy-breath. Here’s Jacob, some 14+ years after stealing the birthright from Esau, two wives and untold flocks later, and he’s ready to reconcile. He wants to reconcile. He wants to ask his brother for forgiveness and just put all of this behind them, except for one thing. That one little get-in-the-way thing that almost makes him go the other direction.

Apprehension. (Read Genesis 32:1-21 & Genesis 33:1-20)

Split the livestock, split the family, split the servants — send them to brother Esau in waves, the least-valued to the most-valued, then me. If he makes it to me and hasn’t cut them all down, I might have a chance.

Wait a minute — his arms are open! I expected clenched fists, and he comes with bear hugs! (What was it Jacob’s descendant Solomon wrote years later? Something about burning coals? Proverbs 25:21-22)

Don’t we do the same thing…

  • …with regard to the church? “I can’t go back there. They know what I’ve done and there’s no way they’ll accept me.”
  • …with regard to God? “I just don’t feel like God can ever forgive me. I can’t even pray. I just don’t know what to say.”

Questions

What are your thoughts on that? Shouldn’t the church hold members accountable for their sins? What right do we have to approach the throne of God with confidence? (God has revealed the answers to these questions in His Holy Word.)

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Posted in Forgiveness, Genesis, Redemption | 2 Comments »

Day 12: Matthew 9:1-17 — Forgiveness of Sins

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

A paralytic was brought to Jesus for healing but Jesus forgave his sins (Matthew 9:2). In our culture, we often don’t get this concept because we separate health from sin. However, the ancient world thought sin was a root cause to bad health, so Jesus forgives sins. Jesus calls Matthew and is criticized for eating with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:11) but Jesus states He came to call sinners (Matthew 9:13). Asclepius was the god of healing.  He granted to the sick healing if they were pure. If they were impure, well, they got what they deserved. Jesus is questioned about why His disciples don’t fast (Matthew 9:14). Fasting was not for losing weight. Fasting in the ancient worlds was related to the fear of demons. Demons were thought to gain power over you by your eating. So, one strategy for protecting oneself from demons was to fast. Jews fasted when they mourned, or it was an act of penance intended to protect one self from disaster (1 Kings 21:27-29), or they were seeking mercy (2 Samuel 12:22-23), or they were seeking forgiveness from sins. In the Jewish document the Apocalypse of Elijah 1:21, true fasting releases one from sin, heals, and/or casts out demons. There is a lot going on here but Jesus forgives sins, calls sinners, and doesn’t need to fast because He has authority over sin, demons, and/or our health.

Questions

It’s the New Year and everyone is making resolutions, changing habits, or seeking some guru to help them with their health, beauty, and longer life. Have you thought about your sins? Have you thought about the One who forgives sins? Have you thought about the One who has ultimate authority over sins? Where will you go for forgiveness of your sins?

P.S.

Let me tell you about my savior… He forgives sins!

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Posted in Matthew | 3 Comments »

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