Robin Hardy Online
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Review things that led to this teaching. He set up some hard standards, and only by some sharp comparisons were they able to see the value of them.
I. Consider God's Forgiveness of Us
1. His forgiveness is the chief emphasis of the Bible. It is stressed by almost every writer. Examine Isa. 1:18, Isa. 55:7, Jer. 33:8, 1 John 1:9, Prov. 28:13.
2. Note the enormous debt that was forgiven. To pay was impossible, nothing left but to plead mercy and make vain promises. So our debt to Him is too great to be met. He forgives all. Our sins are indescribable, but He blots them all out. Our nature is unlovable, but He loves us in spite of it.
3. This explains Christ's mission to the earth. He came for no other purpose but to tell us of His Father's love and willingness to forgive. To do this He was willing to suffer such humiliation, endure such
vilification, go to the cross as a criminal.
II. Consider Our Forgiveness for Each Other
1. A forgiving spirit is essential to Christianity. It is the spirit of Christ. Without it one cannot be Christ-like.
2. A forgiving spirit is badly needed in this world since there is such a wide-spread animosity between the people. Individuals are separated, homes are broken, communities are torn asunder, nations are warring against each other.
3. It is the only thing that can heal the tragedies of the world. The only thing that can melt these social icebergs. The only thing that can pull down these walls that separate the people. That can bridge the chasms. That can make these enemies love each other.
4. Our forgiveness before God hangs on our willingness to forgive each other. The Lord's prayer, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." What condemnation some of us call upon our own heads if we do not forgive each other.
5. Our wrongs against God are greater than our neighbor's wrongs against us. By what right can you ask forgiveness if you are unwilling to forgive?
6. The first responsibility in the matter of reconciliation is on the offended rather than the offender. This is the very opposite of what we have always felt and done.
from Sermons in the Making by W.W. Melton; posted Oct. 20, 2007
