13 March 2011 - ENCS

Today's sermon Pastor Charles did give
The title was "The Grace to Forgive"
Colossians 4:6 was the first passage he did read
Grace-filled conversations include forgiveness, he said
Then he referred to Ephesians one verse seven
About forgiveness that comes to us from heaven
We then learned the definition of Aphesis, a word in Greek
An act of pardoning or release from imprisonment that one does seek
Followed by a phrase about justification
"Just as if I ever sinned" was the definition

Pastor then shared points about human forgiveness
The point of all three is to reduce our ongoing stress
First, forgiveness is not merely an event but is a decision
Accepting God's grace to let go of resentment is the mission
Second, forgiveness is a decision not to seek revenge or to retaliate
Third, forgiveness may require a process to set things straight
Remember that revenge never obtains what it desires
There is no satisfaction and it only fans the fires
That is not to say that justice should not be sought
A "fair and moral accounting" is apt, Pastor taught
For an act of human forgiveness, as we often see
Does not release others from moral responsibility
Pastor mentioned the Hatfield and McCoy family feud
In light of eternity, these matter little he then argued
He referred to Luke 17 verse 4 and 5 where Jesus did say
To forgive a repentant sinner seven times each and every day
Matthew 18:20-21 also talked about forgiveness
Responding to Peter, Jesus said it should be limitless
An anonymous quote Pastor then did impart
"Forgiveness is the evidence of God's grace in our heart"
If imitating God's nature is how we want to live
Then it should be natural to choose to forgive

Pastor then shared of forgiveness' benefits and blessings
By not letting small things turn into big things
Forgiveness unlocks the prison of the soul
Bringing it freedom, which should be a goal
To both parties forgiveness also brings joy
(A lot more than the gift of a little toy)
"Forgiveness is Christianity at its highest level"
It is clearly not something consistent with the devil
In 1999, when Australian missionaries were burned to death
The widow forgave the perpetrators with her next breath
This allowed her to share God's loving grace
With the Indian nation, standing in one place

About forgiving ourselves, Pastor then did talk
It is something at which many people balk
But shouldn't we believers be enticed?
It is effectively receiving forgiveness from Christ
Carrying our sins with us should not be our fate
For Jesus is there to carry all the weight

In summary, Pastor could have used the old line
That "to err is human, to forgive divine"
Our lives would be better and so would the earth
If there was a surplus of forgiveness instead of a dearth