'FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION’

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PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, July 15th, 2012:

http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/7696/good_news_009_july15.mp3
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Rev. Brian Wilkie by Rev. Brian Wilkie       Pastor of St. Andrew's United Church, Rockland, Ontario  http://www.rocklandchurch.ca/

Broadcast Notes:

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‘Forgiveness and Reconciliation’

Today our theme is “Forgiveness and Reconciliation”

Our Reading from the word of God is taken from the second of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, (2 Corinthians 5:14-15), as he talks about his mission, and indeed the mission of all believers:

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says,

 “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

“I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. “   - 2 Corinthians 5:14–6:2  (NIV).

There is no doubt that forgiveness is central to the message of the Gospel, and to the life of the believer. The bible overflows with the message of forgiveness. God is described over and over, in awestruck tones, as the God who forgives sin and pardons sinners. The principle characters of Scripture turn to God for mercy, for their own sins, and for the sins of their people, and they find mercy. Jesus teaches us to recognize our need for forgiveness, to pray for forgiveness and to earnestly forgive others who have sinned against us.

What is forgiveness? Releasing letting go. It is letting go of vengeance, punishment, relinquishing the claim to repayment. To forgive is to suffer loss- that is to say it is to write off the loss.  Consider the parable of the two servants, Jesus told this parable to teach about the connection between forgiving others, and being forgiven. – expand. – the master who forgives, is suddenly out of pocket  the full amount of the debt.  – debt forgiveness is not an easy thing! corporations write off debt, and shareholders suffer.

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     Forgiveness is clearly important, and yet it is really only a part of the process. Forgiveness has a purpose, It is a means to another goal,

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          The Goal of God in forgiving us is to reconcile us to himself. Jesus died on the Cross so that we could live eternally with him. How pitiable the person who seems to think that now their sins are forgiven they have no further need of God! Yes there are such people. 

·         Forgiveness is a step toward setting us free from sin. Our guilt and alienation from God are part of the mechanism that keeps us in bondage to sin.

All these things emphasise that forgiveness plays just one part in the larger picture of salvation. Today I want to explore with you the connection between forgiveness and reconciliation.

We must forgive our brother from our heart.

·         Problem:  you don’t forgive others in order to feel better.  That’s a popular notion, that it’s not about them, it’s about you. –(Yet forgiveness does benefit you)

·         You can’t say “I forgive you but I won’t have anything to do with you.” Imagine if God acted like that? Forgiveness would be no use at all!

·         So Forgiveness means willingness to reconcile, 

·         Do you love the person you are forgiving? Do you want them to be free from sin, reconciled to God. Do you want them to be fitted for heaven, blessed by God, and free from guilt and sin?

·         Can you be angry and forgive? Can you be hurting and forgive? Illustration: Patricia- deeply hurt, finding it hard to forgive.  Willing to be made willing. Because Patricia, so deeply hurt, was able to forgive, I am much more confident of this message, than I was as a younger preacher.

·         Can you forgive someone who hasn’t repented? How is that different? – When you forgive them, you know that in order for them to benefit from this second chance they will need to repent. 

·         Can you forgive multiple repeated sins (70 times 7) 

·         How can we help someone come to repentance? Pray for workers in the harvest, maybe keep them from temptation! Pray for wisdom. Remember how God led us: Romans 2:4 “His kindness leads you toward repentance”.

·         And once they do come to repentance!!!! Patience, rebuilding trust. Confronting your own anger. Any desire to make them suffer, should be supplanted by the desire to see them grow in faithfulness. 

Let’s not forget that this is exactly how God has treated us. While we were yet sinners Jesus died for the ungodly. God forgave us, and in his grace he has worked long and hard to bring us to repentance. Having received Jesus we have consented to a transforming work to root out all sinfulness within us, so that we can be fitted for eternal life.  How incredibly patient God has been while waiting for sinners to repent.  He has decided to bless us, both tenderly and firmly leading us to repentance.

I encourage you to learn from the loving kindness of God; to turn to Him even more fully, and especially in this area of forgiving others; asking God to forgive them with the same kindness that He has led you out of sin.

Let us pray:

  

Thank you Father, that while we were yet sinners, you loved us and you forgave us of our sin; and you led us to repentance and a new relationship with you. Lord, let us trust you with the rest: to follow your commands, to forgive others, and to lead them with kindness to your grace. 

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Rev. Brian Wilkie

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To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:

http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/7696/good_news_009_july15.mp3