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Freedom through Forgiveness
So last week we spent some time focusing on forgiveness.
What is forgiveness and the necessity for it.
I hope that you spent some time this past week in scripture and thanking God for His forgiveness and love being shown to us through His son Jesus Christ.
As we continue our time this morning I want us to look at the freedom that comes with, or through, forgiveness.
But, using the word freedom always implies, at some point, being bound by something.
So let’s open with a word of prayer.
I told you last Sunday that we were going to have an anchor scripture.
A foundational scripture on which to stand as we study the topic of forgiveness.
It is out of Ephesians 4. We started in verse 17 and read through chapter 5 verse 2, but, I would like us to pick up in chapter 4 verse 29.
Again, Paul is clearly contrasting the world and the children of God. 1 Corinthians 6, “and such were some of you.”
But we have been washed, we have been sanctified, we have been justified, we have been forgiven!
Such were some of you.
So, remember, we are to be imitators of God.
We are most like God when we forgive.
I know that’s a bold statement but I want you to take that with you this week, as I hope you did last week, and apply it.
I cannot stress application enough.
Any truth spoken from this platform, whether it’s spoken by me or Carl or Rick, or Judy, or anyone really, has to be applied to your lives.
Those with ears to hear let them hear, right?
Traffic example
So we forgive because God has forgiven us!
There is a freedom that comes with forgiveness.
But then we have to ask, what are we set free from?
What enslaved us?
Look back to Ephesians 4:31-32
Do you see how all of scripture comes together?
The incredible harmony in God’s Word?
So, we have been set free from the bondage of sin, from the chains of unrighteousness.
But, too often, we pick those chains back up.
We live in a world full of bitterness, anger, rage, slander, and resentment.
Don’t believe me?
Just turn on the TV or spend about 3 seconds on social media.
This is nothing new, however.
Look with me at Genesis 4:1-8
So Cain actually murdered his own brother.
And this even happened after God Himself warned Cain.
See Verse 7.
When looking at the 10 commandments, who knows what the 6th commandment is? Thou shall not murder.
Contrast
Now this is interesting so I really want you to listen… Notice Jesus started out with, “you have heard it said… but I say to you” Jesus is pointing out that it’s a heart thing and not an action thing.
You see the teachers of old had watered down the Word of God to where they were simply teaching as a set of rules to follow.
Just don’t murder.
You can be angry.
You can verbally tear down anyone who you disagree with.
Just don’t murder them.
That’s all.
Jesus, however, slams on the breaks.
He says...
reference scripture from Matthew again
We can now go back to Genesis 4:7
This was not a to do list.
Instead God was, addressing the heart.
Sin wants to have its way with you.
It wants to bind you and ultimately destroy you.
Apart from Christ we are bound by sin.
We are enslaved by the chains of sin and death.
But, Christ came to set us free.
This could be a bit of a side note but is still completely within the realm of what we are learning this morning.
Hopefully this will help you in your faith journey and as you share Jesus in the world.
A common question that I always hear, especially from an atheistic point of view, is “how can a good God send someone to Hell?” Valid question but also it’s a question with an answer.
The bible, being one of the ways God has chosen to reveal himself to us, teaches that in the myriad of God’s infinite and perfect attributes, one of those is Justice.
Then, if God is perfectly just then He cannot and will not let law breakers slide by without there being a payment for that broken law.
So, God has clearly stated His law, so far as He has written it on our hearts.
Breaking those laws is called sin.
God has also revealed to us what the payment for sin is… for the wages of sin is death.
But Nate hold up… that guy that just got sentenced to 180 years in prison, is that fair?
I mean he just made a bad decision.
Well, that decision was murdering two people.
Do you see how that changes your view of this man?
We can water down what he did to try and cover up the severity of his actions but in reality he murdered 2 people.
This is what Jesus is doing in Matthew.
He is clearing up what we try and sweep under the rug everyday.
If we are angry at our brother we’ve murdered him.
If we look lustfully at a women we’ve committed adultery.
Ladies, you don’t get out of this one either.
Insert sister or look at a man with lust.
What Jesus is teaching goes all the way back to Adam and Eve.
From the very first man until Jesus comes back, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
BUT, from the foundation of the world, God had a plan.
A plan to send His son, He who knew no sin, to become sin… to take on our sin and all of the just punishment, owed to us, upon himself.
That is love!
That is forgiveness!!!
I pray that helps those of you who struggle with that question
If the forgiveness of God through the blood of Jesus Christ sets us free then so can the forgiveness we show each other.
Let me be clear… I am not talking about salvation.
Christ and Christ along brings salvation.
I’m talking about guilt, shame, depression, and anxiety.
Broken relationships and loneliness.
Everything we do is in response to what Christ has already done.
When we share in God’s forgiveness others can be set free.
When we share in God’s peace those around us will be at peace.
When we share in God’s comfort we too can bring comfort to everyone around us.
But, some of you may be thinking this sounds great and all but I’m just not there.
I have too much junk.
I feel too much shame and too much guilt.
Let me share one last passage of scripture with you this morning.
1709 When John Wesley was only five or six years old, he was trapped in a burning house and was only rescued when one neighbor climbed on another’s shoulders and pulled him out of a window.
A picture of the scene was drawn for Wesley and he kept the drawing until he died, and wrote under it Zechariah 3:2: Is this not a brand plucked from the burning?
There is no amount of junk or filth that keeps God from plucking you out of the fire.
What a picture!
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