The Forgiveness of Sins

Intro

Church family I'd ask that you remain standing and let us continue this morning in worship as we recite the apostle's creed...

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate

was crucified, died, and was buried;

He descended into hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead.

He ascended to heaven

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

Whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

[Be seated]

I'll say bless the Lord if you say, "oh my soul."

"Bless the Lord."

[Oh my soul.]

Oh bless His Holy name.

Good morning church family my name is Eric Warren and I have the pleasure of serving on staff as your student pastor. Student ministry returned from FUGE camp last Saturday, which means that I will be fully recovered by next weekend.

But it's been a wonderful Summer thus far and you'll blink your eyes and students will be back in school and we'll be off and running with a full Fall slate here at The Glade.

Today we march onward in our series in the Apostle's Creed and if you're like me you draw a great bit of encouragement from the thought of worshipping... truly worshipping the lamb of God with faithful believers the world over, not only today... but throughout all time. And that is something that creeds help us out with.

It lays out clearly these parameters of good, healthy, doctrinal belief and you and I know that as we stand here and we recite these words... we join along with countless other faithful saints who do so here on the Lord's Day,

but we also join along with the saints of old, and one day, this innumerable mass will be our reality as we collectively sing, "holy, holy, holy is the Lord, God Almighty."

Imagine... what a day.

We have a lovely local expression of church here at The Glade, but one day we will see more fully the beauty of the universal church.

That's something that we unfolded last week as we spoke about the holy, catholic or universal church...

And today we expound upon our next clause and I feel like a kid in a candy shop getting to preach today because THIS IS A TRUTH THAT ALL OUR HEARTS SHOULD ABSOLUTELY SWELL AND GROW BIG FOR.

Beloved I'm talking about the forgiveness of sins.

We are getting really to the heart of what it is that we believe in this Christian faith. We don't just look to some historical figure who set an example for us. That is a part of it... but not all of it.

Something happened. Something happened at that cross. Something significant.

We see fully and perfectly the weight of our sin, and by God's doing we see all accounts... settled.

The forgiveness of sins... and without it... you and I have no hope.

Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological seminary would comment about this very clause in the Apostle's creed and would say...

"Without "the forgiveness of sins," there is no gospel--there is no hope for the people of God\, for there will be no people of God."

... But we do believe... in the forgiveness of sins...

So beloved... rarely is it a pleasant thing to dive deep into the notion of sin, especially when it takes a personal note and we stop talking about the sins out there in the world, and we start talking about the sins in here that run rampant...

Those are the areas of life that we stow away... keep private... my business in my business and your business is your's.

But when we talk about the forgiveness of sins, beloved, we will always fail to rightly marvel at the gravity of this statement and what it truly, truly means, until we see sin for what it really is... until we see sin as God sees sin.

Sin... is not just behaving badly. It is not just the occasional wrongdoing; beloved, sin is an affront, a rebellion, a war against the God we were created for.

Many of you know the biblical account of the fall of humanity found in Genesis 3 where Adam and Eve, our first parents, looked at all the provision that God gave them... they wanted for nothing... and still they turned their back against God's ways and took of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Why? Weeing that the tree was good for its fruit and that it would "make them like God," they took... and they ate.

...

And what is our sin other than exactly that?

No doubt sin struggles are other worldly and so often we know and feel the battle on that level but beloved... I bet that if we were honest with ourselves we would acknowledge that we find ourselves at odds with God so often due to conscious and deliberate thoughts and and decisions that stare God in the face and say...

"No God... I want what I desire and I'm going to go it my own way... wisdom be damned!"

Beloved, it is no small prospect the gravity of our sin... because it is no small prospect the holiness of our God.

When we think of all the wonderful things that one day will be in an eternity with God... in paradise... it will be because of God's doing... His power... His might... His holiness... and God will not tolerate the presence of sin in His kingdom!

So believer... you are called. You are called to remember, always and forever, what it is that happened at the cross of calvary for the sins of the world and most certainly for the sins of your heart.

We are well into our time together this morning but if I could introduce to you a singular idea to walk away with this morning it would be this...

Christians are called to continually remember the forgiveness of sins... to display the forgiveness of sins.

Today we'll find ourselves primarily in 3 texts this morning.

Firstly, in Matthew 18, we find a parable that speaks to us all and cuts to the quick as it shows us how quick we are to forget.

Matt 18:21-34 - The Unforgiving Servant

Matthew 18:23–35 (CSB)

23“For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

24When he began to settle accounts, one who owed ten thousand talents was brought before him.

25Since he did not have the money to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.

26“At this, the servant fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.’

27Then the master of that servant had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.

28“That servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’

29“At this, his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

30But he wasn’t willing. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed.

31When the other servants saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened.

32Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

33Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’

34And because he was angry, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed.

35So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sister from your heart.”

How quick we are to forget...

In this parable, this word picture there's a king who calls for debts to be paid, don't get too hung up on what 10,000 talents might be translated to today... some translators believe that it would range into the millions of modern day dollars...

but whatever the dollar amount I hope that you feel the weight of that debt for yourself. It is meant to communicate a certain hopelessness of realizing the price that is demanded and seeing clearly for yourself... "I can't pray for that." So oppressive is this debt that it not only sinks the servant but it ruins the family as well, a reminder for you and me as we consider the weight of our sin that SIN NEVER HAPPENS IN A VACUUM.

Sin is endemic, it leeches out of our heart and latches onto the lives of those around us like tar... family, friends, loved ones. You know it. I know it. We all know it.

This is an illustration that Jesus speaks to his followers but we might as well write our own names into the story. You and I feel the weight of our sin and no matter how many times we may lie to ourselves we know that sin always has collateral damage tied to it.

A truth that I grow more and more aware with each passing day as a father. Decisions that I make don't only effect me and my own spiritual well-being, but the well-being of my wife... the well-being of my son.

In the face of an unspeakable debt... the miraculous happens.

The man is forgiven. Family set free. Not because the man broke out the checkbook and made amends, but only because the master showed compassion.

How sweet that is, right? I mean it goes down like honey and feels good on the soul.

But beloved in the 2nd act we see how wicked and short-sighted sin can make a heart.

Released from the grips of a lifetime of bondage, the man turns settle his own accounts.

Verse 28 says that he goes out to find a man who owed him 100 denarri... 100 days wages worth of money. It's not an insignificant sum, but held in the light of what the first many once owed, the amount is paltry and the man's ensuing actions can only be described as disgusting.

He was forgiven much, but then forgave little. He was given freedom and turns to hold his brother by the throat.

Now... no one may owe you money. But brothers and sisters, would those around you describe you as forgiving? Compassionate? Do you relay the forgiveness by which you stand free? Or are you quick to hold your brother or sister by the throat?

In this man we see someone who trampled on the profound forgiveness that was extended and the result was that he received his due punishment...

Do not make light the extent that you have been forgiven by being stingy with the forgiveness of others.

God eternally and unconditionally forgives those who repent of so immense a debt against him that it is unconscionable for believers to refuse to grant forgiveness to each other for sins that remain trivial in comparison - Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 282.

So again I point back to our main point for today...

Remember the forgiveness of your sins so that you can display the forgiveness of sins.

Which leads us to our 2nd text today in 2 Corinthians 5:16...

And if your Bible is anything like mine you have displayed right there in bold letters what I think is an appropriate charge for the Christian.

This Christian faith was never meant to make you stagnant. This Christian faith was never meant to have you sit idly by... but as you believe upon Jesus you are saved from your sin and saved onto mission. You are saved from your sin and you are saved into ministry.

This ministry of reconciliation.

All ground is level at the foot of the cross, amen?

Paul would say...

2 Corinthians 5:16–21 (CSB)

16From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way.

17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

18Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

19That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

21He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

I tell students to find their fighter verses... Find the verses and passages that you run to to remind you, encourage you, and guide you. I've playfully referred to them as your tattoo verses... sorry about that.

2 Corinthians 5:17 is one of those verses for me... Because I can't help but read it with such triumph and I think it so beautifully puts words to the truth of salvation...

If you are in Christ, you are a NEW creation!

How many of you desire to be made new today? That's what Christ offers. Old you... that old self that you are so tired of. That old self that gives you such burden and heartache... dead buried, no more... you're new! -- You've been reconciled, forgiven, made whole.

So what is our response? Do we sit on our hands and do nothing? May it never be so!

Do we Lord over others as we've become morally superior? NO! You have been forgiven so you are now sent on mission to bear that forgiveness out! Verse 19 -- he has committed the message of reconciliation to us!

You got a job to do, Christian! You go out into this world as sent ones... That's what it means to be an ambassador.

As a believer in Jesus you live on foreign soil. And as an ambassador does you now represent the interests and authority of the one who sends you. We plead on Christ's behalf... "Be reconciled to God!"

Beloved, I give you this word of caution this morning. Some of you wear the title of Christian like a politician may revel in their title of ambassador. You enjoy the perks of the job but when it comes down to brass tax, this ministry of reconciliation, you spurn the call that God has placed on your life to be a bringer of light and forgiveness into a world of darkness.

Forgiveness and reconciliation, when carried out as God intended looks a lot less like what you and I would like for it to look like, a lot less convenient...

...and it starts to look a lot more scandalous and a lot more humbling.

How silly it looks to hold someone by their throat when you've been forgiven an impossible debt.

Jesus paints out this scandalous forgiveness in a familiar parable.

Luke 15 is a familiar story... It's the parable of the prodigal son. Or the parable of the 2 sons. Or the parable of the loving Father.

But instead of reading from our typical translation. I thought we'd try something this morning...

My baby turned 2 yesterday... I remember as Becca and I dreamed of what it would look like to be parents and what we wanted to instill in our children... we wanted to be as aware as we could for the little and sweet moments in life.

We read Josiah a story before bed, as many parents do. Even as a newborn we would both huddle around before laying him down for the night and we would open up the Jesus storybook Bible. Some of you are familiar... and if not I'd advise every one of you to go buy a copy.

The author... Sally Lloyd Jones, has a masterful way of communicating these beautiful truths in very simple terms and time and time again these stories have brought tears to my eyes.

While God is unsearchable and many, many people far smarter than me have plumbed the depths of His character for lifetimes and still don't even scratch the surface. God's truth is beautiful, and knowable, and even a young, young child can be captivated by it.

Lk 15:11-31 - The Lost Son - JSB

Pic 1

Jesus told this story about a boy who ran away:

Once upon a time, there was a boy and his dad. Now, one day, the boy gets to thinking, Maybe if I didn't have my dad around telling me what is good for me all the time, I'd be happier.

He's spoiling my fun, he thinks. Does my dad really want me to be happy? Does my dad really love me? The son never thought of that before. But suddenly he doesn't know anymore.

So the son goes to his father and says, "Dad, I'm better off without you. I can look after myself. Just give me my share of your money. His father is sad but he won't force his boy to stay. So he gives his son what he wants.

The son takes the money and goes on a long, long journey to a far off country.

And everything's wonderful and perfect - for a while.

He can go wherever he wants, do whatever he wants, be whoever he wants. He is the boss, he is free!

Sometimes he gets a strange, hungry, homesick feeling inside his heart, but then he just eats more, or drinks more, or buys more clothes, or goes to more parties until it goes away

Pic 2

But soon his money runs out - and so do his friends.

He ends up getting the only job he can find: feeding pigs.

One day, he is so hungry and so desperate he even tries some piggy food.

"What am I doing?" he says suddenly, as if he has woken from a nightmare.

He spits - YUCK! - all of it - ICK! - out of his mouth.

"My father is rich, and here I am - in a pig sty, eating piggy food!'

He wipes his mouth and dusts himself off.

"I'm going home!"

Pic 3

As he starts for home though, he begins to worry. Dad won't love me anymore. I've been too bad. He won't want me for his son anymore. So he practices his I'm-Sorry-Speech.

All this time, what he doesn't know is that, day after day, his dad has been standing on his porch, straining his eyes, looking into the distance, waiting for his son to come home. He just can't stop loving him. He longs for the sound of his boy's voice. He can't be happy until he gets him back.

The son is still a long way off, but his dad sees him coming.

What will the dad do? Fold his arms and frown? Shout, "That'll teach you!" And, "Just you wait, young man!'

No. That's not how this story goes.

The dad leaps off the porch, races down the hill, through the gap in the hedge, up the road. Before his son can even begin his I'm-Sorry-Speech, his dad runs to him, throws his arms around him, and can't stop kissing him.

Pic 4

"Let's have a party!" his dad shouts. "My boy's home, He ran away. I lost him - but now I have him back!"

Jesus told them, "God is like the dad who couldn't stop loving his boy. And people are like the son who said, Does my dad really want me to be happy?'"

Jesus told people this story to show them what God is like. And to show people what they are like.

So they could know, however far they ran, however well they hid, however lost they were--it wouldn't matter. Because God's children could never run too far, or be too lost, for God to find them.

Some of you would do well to remember anew how scandalous God's grace is. That even the worst of us can be seen and saved by the most loving Father.

Believer... God saw you while you were still a long ways off and took off in a dead sprint to bring you home.

Remember your forgiveness so that you can display that forgiveness.

Some of you are still in the pig sty. Some of you are asking, "how did I get here?"

Beloved, I hope you see the truth painted out here in this little children's book.

The Father sees you. The Father loves you. The Father wants to bring you home.

For you, if you're in this room and I think you may be... today... today is the day of salvation. Come home.

The forgiveness of sins. It is not a small truth. But an ocean to plunge yourself headlong into.

Bow your heads and close your eyes...