God’s Forgiveness

God’s Forgiveness

Psalm 103:8-12

Theme: God shows us how he forgives sin.

Welcome to Mountain View Baptist Church! It is a wonderful privilege to be in God’s House today. We are honored to have you here today and trust the service will be a blessing to you.

There is one topic that most of us struggle with and that is the area of forgiveness. It is so difficult to relieve a person of wrong because we believe they should get punished or suffer because of their wrong. We want them to suffer like we suffer. Forgiveness is hard for us towards others but it is also difficult for us to forgive ourselves. Some people struggle with forgiving God. However, God does and will forgive us when we come to Him.

On Sunday evening February 18, I would like to begin a brand-new series entitled: Total Forgiveness. This series will focus on forgiving others. If we can better understand our struggle with forgiving others, it will help us to better understand God’s willingness to forgive.

Last week we studied the work of faith in salvation and the fact that God in His mercy reaches down to sinful man to save Him. To give Him a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Forgiveness is also a part of the Bible teaching in salvation.

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” (Ephesians 1:7)

Redemption is payment for sin by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross which provides forgiveness. This word forgiveness means to release one from a debt or an offense. This releasing is taking away the guilt and penalty of their sin. A release is given to someone who has done us wrong.

Many people do not realize that God wants to forgive our sin based on the price He paid for so can be forgiven. In verse 8 there are two key words that is directly connected to forgiveness.

God show us His provision of forgiveness.

1. Promise of God’s mercy and grace v. 8

Mercy means God does not give us what we deserve. The very fact it is recorded in Scriptures points us to God’s desire for giving us mercy. God could and has every reason to punish us because of our sin. He is so compassionate and slow to anger that He gives us mercy. It is so vast, that if you were to measure the height of the heaven, that is the depth of His mercy. Depending on your source, many believe that heaven is above the earth about 46 billion light years. God’s mercy is as high as that.

The second word is grace which is God giving us something we do not deserve. It has been defined as unmerited favor. Here the Psalmist is speaking of God’s forgiveness as a work of grace in salvation.

When man sinned, he broke God’s commandments. For those who think they are not sinners, James reminds us this of breaking God’s Law

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

God has chosen to work with mankind through both mercy and grace. This levels the playing field for all of us. All of mankind falls under this guideline. God’s promise of mercy and grace is for everyone regardless of age, nationality, background.

God’s mercy is limitless

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,” (Ephesians 2:4)

Forgiveness with God is centered in these two words which is secured by God Himself. The fact, He has told us these truths shows us His mercy.

2. Payment for sin

God is angry at sin v.8 and came to earth to pay for the penalty of sin which is the breaking of the law. Sin does not get a pass, we don’t simply ignore sin and God refuses to ignore this sin so He made the payment for sin on the cross. A payment had to be made to take care of sin. Your sin and my sin needed a payment, a sacrifice.

“God’s grace and forgiveness, while free to the recipient, are always costly for the giver. From the earliest parts of the Bible, it was understood that God could not forgive without sacrifice. No one who is seriously wronged can “just forgive” the perpetrator” (Tim Kelller)

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross satisfied this wrath of God.

The word propitiation means to satisfy the wrath of God.

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1–2)

Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross satisfied God’s wrath. When a person receives Christ, this means his sin is forgiven or pardoned because of the payment of another.

This is where mercy and grace operate in our lives because we are saved and forgiven through His sacrifice.

“God’s forgiveness extends to the worst offenders and to anyone who wishes to receive it-not because of who we are, but because of who He is.” (Chuck Swindoll)

His payment for sin on the cross satisfies God’s wrath so that we can be assured of forgiveness with God. God is not dealing with us after our sin v.10-which means it is not based on justice but on mercy.

God desires and is ready to forgive

“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; And plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” (Psalm 86:5)

“But there is forgiveness with thee, That thou mayest be feared.” (Psalm 130:4)

God’s love reaches out in mercy and love to die on the cross for us. His payment made it possible to be reconciled to God, to be right with God.

3. Perfection of forgiveness v.12

The forgiveness Christians seek in their daily walk is not pardon from an angry judge, but mercy from a grieved father. A judicial forgiveness deals with the penalty of our sins but parental forgiveness deals with restoration to the father.

When God forgives sin, He casts them as far as the east is from the west. There is no ending point, there is no stopping point.

God is saying sins are removed out of our lives. His forgiveness is totally complete. There is no stopping point with God. There is no place God has not forgiven us through Christ.

Many wrongly confuse forgiveness with God. They think God will only forgive some sins. Because they have the guilt of sin, God cannot forgive that sin. God is so willing and desiring to forgive you that His work of the cross proves it. He came to reconcile the world unto Himself.

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18–19)

When King David had sinned with Bathsheba, God sent Nathan the prophet to rebuke him. As he confessed to God his sin, he said,

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7)

Snow is one of the whitest substances known to us in the natural world. It is so clean that it glistens. If you were to take a white sheet and put it next to snow, it would look more yellow than white because of the contrast in the snow.

On the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website: A snowflake begins to form when an extremely cold water droplet freezes onto a pollen or dust particle in the sky. This creates an ice crystal. As the ice crystals fall to the ground, water vapor freezes onto the primary crystal, building new crystals-thus the six arms of the snowflake.

When David said, wash me wither than snow, he is saying cleanse me from the inside out.

Forgiveness from God relieves us of our guilt and brings peace with God. God’s forgiveness is for sure and is complete.

Do you need forgiveness from Him? He is ready and wants to forgive you. You must come to Him and ask for His forgiveness. Salvation offers forgiveness through Jesus Christ and for the Christian God offers forgiveness as a Father.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God forgives and cleanses us from all our sin when we come to Him.

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:” (Isaiah 1:18–19)