LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 62

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62

CONVENTION SERMONS

In the Service of the Sacrament, we hear the pastor speak
the words of institution of the Lord’s Supper, including the
words of Jesus Himself: “Take, eat; this is My body, which is
given for you . This do in remembrance of Me .” “Drink of it,
all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which
is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins . This do, as often as
you drink it, in remembrance of Me .” We sing, “Lamb of God,
You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us . Lamb
of God, You take away the sin of the world; grant us peace .”
And then we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, which are
truly present in, with, and under the elements of bread and
wine . Our sin is forgiven! Our guilt is gone! Christ’s atoning
sacrifice on Calvary’s cross has satisfied God’s demands for
perfect obedience .
Offering forgiveness in Word and Sacrament is the business of the Church of Jesus Christ, including The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod . Forgiveness is the hallmark of
our faith . We believe, teach, and confess that we are justified
by God’s grace alone, saved by the God-given gift of faith
alone, as communicated by God to the world in Holy Scripture
alone . “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God .”
(2 Cor . 5:21)
Yet sometimes we struggle as human beings to experience
freedom from the guilt and consequences that come along with
sin . We often find it difficult to forgive ourselves .
This headline appeared in the Grand Rapids Press:
“Convict Tells of a Torture That Time Can’t Change .” The
article described a newspaper reporter’s interview with a man
who had been convicted of killing his wife . Here’s how the
writer described the scene: “He leans forward from his chair .
For a moment he says nothing . Finally he comments, matterof-factly, ‘I’ll never be the same . I have no illusions about
that . I still have to live with it .’” Since he was being considered for parole, the prisoner was asked by the reporter if he
deserved to be let out . He responded by saying, “Out? I lost
a wife, and I can’t replace her . It will always be on my mind,
because no matter what, I still bear the final responsibility .
There’s no amount of time I could do that would change anything . I could do 100 years or 1,000 years; how do you set a
number for something like that?”
When I hear such stories, including similar ones describing sin that all of us would consider much less grievous than
murder, I thank God for “the peace of God that passes all
understanding .” That wonderful peace in one’s being, heart,
and soul can come only through the forgiveness of sins granted
by our merciful and gracious God .
The reformers wrote about it this way in the Apology of
the Augsburg Confession, Article XII, regarding repentance:
This is the testimony that the Holy Spirit gives in your heart
[cf . Rom . 8:16], saying, “your sins are forgiven to you .” For in
this way the apostle [Paul] concludes that a person is justified
freely through faith . … Moreover, he teaches us how we may be
certain about the forgiveness of sins, namely, when by faith our
2010 Convention Proceedings

hearts are uplifted and find rest through the Holy Spirit . (KolbWengert, p . 199)

God’s forgiveness in Christ is real! What God forgives,
He forgets . God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah—“For
I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no
more” (Jer . 31:34) .
We need forgiveness . We receive forgiveness . And we
receive the Spirit-empowered ability to offer forgiveness to
others .

III. We offer forgiveness
Because God forgives our iniquity and forgets our sins, we
are freed to offer that forgiveness to others . Many passages of
Scripture speak of the necessity of our offering forgiveness,
including the text for this message in Mark 11, the words of
Jesus: “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have
anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in
heaven may forgive you your trespasses .”
Lenski, in his commentary on Mark, describes this
forgiveness:
Note the all inclusiveness of “anything” and “anyone .” Jesus
is careful not to say “any sin” or “any trespass .” Whether the
thing be a sin in God’s judgment or not, whatever it be, as long
as we hold it “against (kata, down on)” anybody, fellow disciple
or non-disciple, Jesus says: “remit it,” get rid of it . When? After
the person admits our charge, confesses it, and asks remission?
The Scriptures fix no such time . The remission is to take place
at once, the moment we feel aggrieved against anyone . (Lenski,
p . 497)

Even with that admonition, we often find it difficult if not
impossible to forgive someone who really sins against us, who
betrays our trust, who judges us unfairly, who is unfaithful
to a commitment, who harms us physically, emotionally, or
spiritually . Yet Jesus commands us to forgive others, not only
in those kinds of circumstances but also when forgiveness is
not requested or even when the sinner has not yet acknowledged his sin . Of course, we should also forgive when the
person who sins against us has confessed, is repentant, and
asks for our forgiveness (ref . Matthew 18) . Listen to the testimony of Holy Scripture on the necessity of forgiving those
who sin against us:
Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, “For if you forgive
others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you; but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither
will your Father forgive your trespasses .” (Matt . 6:14–15)
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, how often will my brother sin
against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus
said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times
seven .” (Matt . 18:21–22)
The critical importance of our forgiving those who sin
against us was powerfully illustrated in a Guideposts magazine story told by a nurse about a man named Williams,
hospitalized following a heart attack . He appeared to be a
lonely man, strangely silent about his family .
As the nurse entered the room, Mr . Williams asked, hesitatingly, “Would you call my daughter? Tell her I’ve had a