A Ministry of Forgiveness

Father forgive them for they know not what they do. These words comes from Christ after he has been crucified and hung between two criminals. The setting is picturesque. Jesus is lead up Golgotha hill with a crowd behind him weeping and lamenting.

The words Jesus gives them are both prophetic and mind blowing. Don’t weep for me but weep for yourselves and for your children. WOW! Jesus knows he is marching towards his death but says weep for yourselves. Jesus foretells of days that will come when people will day blessed are the barren and the childless. Those must be some periless times when we would say such a thing. Times like these when we see the literal decaying of society. Times like these when the family is so broken we have fathers killing their children or children killing their parent. Communities, churches, school and supermarkets being shot up. Disrespect of our elders, neglect of our children. I can’t turn on the news without seeing tragedy and chaos.

Now Jesus said something that tells us if you think its crazy now buckle your seat belt. Jesus said if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when its dry. If they did this a righteous man what will be done to the unrighteous. Similar to what Peter said, 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And

“If the righteous is scarcely saved,

what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good . (1 Pe 4:17–19).

Fathers we have to see from the words of Christ we must share the sufferings of Christ to this world and remind them to get right now! Our message needs to be plan and simple. Its going to get a lot worst unless we get a lot better.

Ignorance can lead to destruction and despair! Ignorance can lead to chaos and needless pain and trouble. Ignorance can lead to perpetual sadnesss.

So you may ask why do i say ignorance. Well its the words of Jesus that he speaks from the cross. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34). We normally hear about this verse at 7 last words services. Yet today we need to know about the disease of ignorance. We heard Hosea 4:6 in one version or another “My people perish for lack of knowledge” Go to the tat and read the whole verse! My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;

because you have rejected knowledge,

I reject you from being a priest to me.

And since you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children. (Ho 4:6). If that’s not enough read the following verse in Hosea 4

7  The more they increased,

the more they sinned against me;

I will change their glory into shame.

8  They feed on the sin of my people;

they are greedy for their iniquity.

9  And it shall be like people, like priest;

I will punish them for their ways

and repay them for their deeds.

10  They shall eat, but not be satisfied;

they shall play the whore, but not multiply,

because they have forsaken the LORD

to cherish 11 whoredom, wine, and new wine,

which take away the understanding.

Did you hear that? They feed on sin, the Lord will punish them and all this takes away the understanding!

The symptoms of ignorance are all around us. We have a new standard of righteousness in our society. But we have to get back to God’s righteousness!

The message from Jesus as he marches to Calvary and then speaks from the cross s a reminder of what we need to do.

Forgiveness! Jesus ask God to forgive us for we know not what we do. Why forgiveness? Forgiveness will move us from a state of hopeless to a space of hope, peace and prosperity. Some of the stuff we do is because we are dealing with unforgiveness. We have not forgiven our parents, our siblings, each other. As a matter of fact we as a people have to forgive America on how we have been mistreated. It is Juneteenth. A lot of our behavior is generation curses of society mistreatment and our inability to recognize we have to forgive even America.

I was reading a post yesterday that reminded me we come from people who never gave up. People who were stripped of their culture language and native land and placed on the bottom of a boat and laid side by side head to toe for a 4 to 6 month transatlantic voyage to come to a land where it was forbidden for us to learn to read or write. our women and men were raped and our fore parents children were stripped form them and sold like cattle. We were beaten and hung from trees that Billie Holiday described as Strange Fruit.

This holiday alone speaks of the atrocities we endured. It was two years after the emancipation proclamation that those who fought in the civil war and the people of Texas finally learn of their freedom.

The cruelty did not stop there we went war for America and bravely forth on European soil only to return to America and be treated like second class citizens. We are the victims of purposeful disinvestment, segregation and relining. We have been experimented on, hosed, chased by dogs, beaten with clubs and even publicly lynched with knees on our neck for nearly 9 minutes. We have been taught to not care for for our lives. We have been taught self hate. So we need to see what Jesus saw as valuable in asking God to forgive them for they know not what they are doing.

we For what?

So we can end our downward spiral acting out immaturely and without repentance. I offer this on forgivessness:

1. God forgives us

2. We forgive others

3. Others forgive us

4. We forgive ourselves

1. God forgives us

Jesus didn’t avoid people who had done wrong; he said it was them who needed him. If you can only understand that God has forgiven you. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us! He came for the sick (sinner)

Jesus said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Since God has forgiven us we have a responsibility.

1 John 1:7-9

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light,

we have fellowship with one another,

and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin,

we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins,

He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2. We forgive others

Matthew 18:21

Peter came to Jesus and said,

“Lord, how often shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

There is a familiar saying: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.

Peter thought he was being generous to suggest for giving his brother seven times.

Jesus said to him, “I don’t say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

490 times. In other words, ALWAYS forgive your brother who sins against you.

Luke 17:3-4

If your brother sins against you, rebuke him;

and if he repents, forgive him.

And if he sins against you seven times in a day,

and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, “I repent,” then you shall forgive him.

The Unforgiving Servant

“This is also what my heavenly Father will do to you if each of you, from his heart, doesn’t forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Matthew 6:9-15

Pray in this manner:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

So God forgives me like I forgive others.

That is a scary thought.

2 Corinthians 2:7-11

You ought to forgive and comfort him,

lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow.

Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him...

To whom you forgive any thing, I forgive also:

For if indeed I have forgiven anything,

I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,

lest Satan should take advantage of us;

for we aren’t ignorant of his devices.

3. Others forgive us

Just like we’re supposed to forgive others, they are supposed to forgive us also. But just like it’s hard for us to forgive others; it’s hard for them to forgive us. So there are going to be people in your life who haven’t forgiven you for some of the things you’ve done.

— Sometimes forgiveness takes time.

— Sometimes forgiveness needs to see a change in you.

— Sometimes forgiveness needs to see a change for a long period of time.

4. We forgive ourselves

Forgiveness includes forgiving yourself for the things you’ve done. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy/critic. It can be hard to forgive ourselves.

– Peter Denies Jesus, Feed my Sheep - John 18:15-18,25-27 and 21:15-19

Where do you think those messages of guilt are coming from? Not from God! He promises to forgive and forget your sins.

He cleanses us from all sins. 1 John 1:7

He throws our sins into the depth of the sea, Micah 7:19

He removes it from you as far as the east is from the west, Psalm 103:12

He chooses to remember it no more! Hebrews 8:12, 10:17

Your guilt is not from God. It comes from the evil one, who would love to see you wallow about helplessly in your guilt and shame, and rob you of joy and render your testimony worthless.

So stop buying it! Once you confess and repent of your sin, act on faith as if you’re forgiven, because God says you are!

Do consequences from our sin remain after we’re forgiven? Sure! Even though God forgives us, he doesn’t remove all the consequences. He forgave Adam and Eve but still made them leave the garden, work hard, start aging, and have babies in pain.

Sometimes our sin might

— Damage a relationship

— Remove an opportunity

— Ruin our health

— Change the path of our lives

— Land us in jail

Those consequences will remain and have to be lived out.

Psalm 51

A Psalm written by David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba and after he had arranged for the death of her husband Uriah.

Have mercy on me, O God,

According to Your lovingkindness;

According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,

Blot out my sins.

Wash me thoroughly from my sin and cleanse me from my sin.

Because I acknowledge my sin,

And it is always before me.

Against You, and You only, have I sinned,

And done this evil in Your sight—

…Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,

And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Make me hear joy and gladness,

That the bones You have broken may rejoice.

Hide Your face from my sins,

And blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence,

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

...Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Then I will teach sinners Your ways,

And they will be converted to You.

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

The God of my salvation,

And my tongue will sing aloud of Your righteousness.

O Lord, open my lips,

And my mouth will bring forth Your praise.

...The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,

A broken and a contrite heart—

These, O God, You will not despise...