Ephesians 4:31-32 | Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost

“I FORGIVE YOU” Ephesians 4:31-32 | Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost | October 2/5, 2014 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Amen. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Jesus Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, business. But because he’s a gracious God he’s also in the forgiving business. And he Listen as I read this description from ABC’s has made forgiveness our business too. website: This is not a story about He has taught us to pray, “Forgive us our forgiveness; it’s a show about retribution. sins as we forgive those who sin against Meet Emily Thorne, the newest resident of us.” He wants us both to hear and to The Hamptons. When she was a little girl speak what are perhaps the three most her father, David Clarke, was framed for a important words in the English language: horrific crime and subsequently sent to “I forgive you.” prison. While serving his time, the conspirators plotted and murdered David I. Unnatural Words in order to prevent the truth from coming Those words don’t come to us naturally. out. Emily is now back with a new identity We aren’t born into this world eager to and ready to take vengeance on the pardon those who wrong us. Paul tells us people that murdered her father and stole what does come naturally: bitterness, her childhood. rage and anger, brawling and slander, As some of you already know, that’s a along with every form of malice. That’s description of the show simply entitled an ugly list with an ugly impact on our Revenge. It’s a popular show based on a lives and the lives of others. Let’s talk for a popular storyline. Just think of how many moment about these sins that are all-too- movies, TV shows and books have revenge evident in our lives. as a central plot point. I have to wonder, Bitterness. Someone says or does would a show called Forgiveness enjoy the something that hurts us. Rather than same success. Would such a show ever dealing with it we stew about it. Our heart even be made? harbors thoughts about that person that God’s Word is clear. Revenge is none of could hardly be described as kind or our business. God says, “It is mine to compassionate. We think about how we avenge; I will repay ” (Deut. 32:35). As a can turn the tables, make them look just and holy God, vengeance is his foolish, make them pay for what they did. 1 | P a g e Rage and anger. Have you ever had a this: God means it when he says, “I forgive moment where your own anger scares you.” Jesus earned for you the right to you a little bit? Your child forgets to put hear these words of grace. his plate in the dishwasher and you blow There wasn’t an ounce of unjust anger, up. Your spouse makes a benign comment not even a little bit of malice in him. Oh, that sets you off on a tirade of yelling and he was tempted. And if anyone could have finger pointing. Afterwards you gotten both mad and even with his breathlessly ask yourself, “Where did that enemies, it was him. He was tempted in come from?” every way, just as we are--yet was Brawling and slander along with every without sin (Hebrews 4:15). When he form of malice. These could also be spoke up in anger it was just and right and translated “shouting” and “name-calling.” necessary. And when it was time to speak Sometimes a temper tantrum leads to words of forgiveness, he did so with words that are becoming of no one, least perfect grace. He took our place, our of all a blood-bought child of God. We perfect substitute under God’s law. raise our voices and use hurtful words, He took our place in another way. He took even with those we love. The process is all our place under God’s justice. A just God too familiar to us. Forgiving those who says that without the shedding of blood wrong us? This is often not even on our there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). So radar. We’d rather follow this world’s God’s perfect, sinless Son took our place advice: “Don’t get mad. Get even.” with criminals and law-breakers and the But all this – the rage, the name-calling, scum of the earth on the cross. Nails the lack of love and compassion, the pierced him. Blood flowed – perfect reluctance to let go of our anger and blood, the blood of the God-man, the only forgive – these are all just symptoms, blood that could get the job done. And it symptoms of a much bigger, a much did. The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies deeper problem. In Jeremiah’s prophecy us from all sin (1 John 1:7). we read: The heart is deceitful above all On the third day he rose to seal his things and beyond cure. Who can sacrifice and to secure our forgiveness. understand it? (17:9) We can’t get rid of This forgiveness is not conditional. It is the ugliness. We can’t cure our own unconditional – no strings attached. It is hearts. There is only One who can. not partial, but complete. His blood II. Gracious Words purifies us from all sin. It is not temporary, but eternal. And because of it eternal joy Let his cleansing words wash over your awaits us. soul. “Take heart, [child]; your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2). Those are words In Christ God forgave you. God looks at that you and I don’t deserve to hear, and each of us in Christ and says, “I forgive yet God speaks them to us anyway. Know you.” Such simple words. So easy to miss. 2 | P a g e So easy to take for granted. Don’t! Those longer speak to one another without words are profound. They are sublime. seeing the cross. It reminded them what They are gracious words. And they are Jesus had done for them. It reminded filled with power. them who they were in him. That cross had quite an impact. Anger and arguing III. Powerful Words gave way to calm discussion. Brothers in A man had been unfaithful to his wife. His Christ began to behave like brothers in confession and apology to her was Christ once again. honest, heartfelt: “What I did was wrong. The gospel is powerful. It changes hearts. You didn’t deserve it. I have no excuse. I It changes lives. It changes behavior. In want you to know that I’m sorry. Even the gospel we find the key to forgiving our more, I’m sorry to God who wanted me to neighbor. The Spirit, through Paul’s pen, love you so much better than that.” Many expresses it so perfectly: Be kind and sleepless nights later he sat at his kitchen compassionate to one another, forgiving table looking at the note in his hand. each other, just as in Christ God forgave Three little words written in his bride’s you. neat, flowing hand: I forgive you. Powerful! In today’s Gospel lesson we heard the familiar parable of the unmerciful servant Have you ever been on the giving or (Matthew 18). It was prompted by a receiving end of that kind of forgiveness? question from Peter: "Lord, how many How can someone forgive such a deep times shall I forgive my brother when he hurt? How can someone just let it go? It’s sins against me? Up to seven times?" not easy. In fact, for us, by ourselves, it’s Peter was trying to be generous. Rabbis of not even possible. We would never forgive the day taught that three times was like that. We wouldn’t even want to. But plenty. Jesus answered: "I tell you, not with God we can. With God all things are seven times, but seventy-seven times.” possible. Jesus isn’t encouraging us to actually keep A pastor was having trouble with his a ledger and stop at 77. His point is that church council. The men just weren’t when we have offered forgiveness seven getting along. They bickered and argued. times, we’re just getting warmed up. Our They pointed fingers and called each forgiveness is to be like God’s: limitless. other nasty names. The ministry and But he doesn’t deserve it , we argue. So mission of the congregation suffered. what? We don’t deserve to be forgiven. Finally, during one particularly heated And yet here we are, God’s baptized debate, the pastor quietly got up, walked children, basking in his forgiveness, full into the church and grabbed the cross and free in Christ, a forgiveness that in from the altar. He brought it into the moments he will offer us again in his Son’s meeting room and placed it in the middle true body and blood, the price of our of the table. The councilmen could no 3 | P a g e redemption. God forgives us in Christ. Revenge may be a popular in Hollywood, That’s where we find the desire and but it is not a proper storyline for God’s strength to forgive others.

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