LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 77

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

2. ONE People Forgiven through Christ to Forgive ...
Friends in Christ, one people forgiven through Christ to
forgive,
“Forgive our sins as we forgive,”
You taught us, Lord, to pray;
But You alone can grant us grace
To live the words we say .
Lord, cleanse the depths within our souls
And bid resentment cease;
Then, bound to all in bonds of love,
Our lives will spread Your peace .1

foreign to him as his earthly father . He barely graduated from
high school and then went to work at Kmart .
Our text for this morning is from Ephesians 4:29–5:2:
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only
such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may
give grace to those who hear . And do not grieve the Holy Spirit
of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption .
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander
be put away from you, along with all malice . Be kind to one
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ
forgave you . Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children . And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up
for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God .3

I Can’t Forgive!
I know a man named Gene .2 He was born in the early 1950s
to an unwed mother . When she became pregnant, both his parents decided to have nothing to do with each other . They made
their families promise not to tell any of their future children
about this incident .
Gene’s mother never married . There was more shame for
being an unwed mother at that time than there is today . Life
was difficult raising a child and being the sole breadwinner .
Gene and his mother were poor . Later, she ended up also caring for her disabled mother .
At first, Gene didn’t realize that he was different from other
kids . Then one day some of the children in the neighborhood
told him that they couldn’t play with him anymore . He asked
why . Gene today reflects, “Do you remember the first word
you looked up in the dictionary? The first word I looked up
was bastard, because that’s why the other kids’ moms said
that they couldn’t be with me anymore .”
Gene noticed other differences as well . Other kids seemed
to get new toys and bikes, but Gene’s mom was too poor to
afford new things . He didn’t have a father to play ball with
him or just spend time with him . As he grew older, he became
angry at a father he never knew . His mother wouldn’t talk
about it, and bitterness filled his heart .
He had constant reminders that his father abandoned him
and his mother . When he was ready for his first job, he needed
to apply for a social security number . He and some friends
went to the office with their birth certificates and application
forms . Under father’s name, Gene’s birth certificate had an x
and a line behind it . When the clerk reviewed his application,
she asked who his father was . Gene said he didn’t know, and
he pointed out the blank line on his birth certificate . The clerk
shoved his application back to him and said loud enough for
his friends to hear, “Take this home and get it filled out properly . Someone knows who your father is .” Gene was shamed
in front of friends, once again reminding him of his situation .
Bitterness consumed Gene . His schoolwork suffered . He
stopped attending church once he was confirmed . After all,
how could he love a God who would allow his mother and him
to suffer as they did? Relating to his heavenly Father was as
77

We are ONE People Forgiven, to forgive others as we have
been forgiven in Christ .
The Scriptures warn us often against withholding forgiveness . We pray as Jesus taught: “Forgive us our trespasses as
we forgive those who trespass against us .” The parable of the
unmerciful servant reinforces the danger of withholding forgiveness from a fellow sinner when we have been forgiven so
much more (see Matthew 18:21–35) .
Unforgiveness is the poison we drink hoping the other person will die . It separates us from God . Yet at times it seems
impossible for us to forgive . After all, those who have sinned
against us have hurt us so deeply, betrayed us in unspeakable
ways, or brought suffering on innocent ones that we love .
The disciples struggled to understand this divine act that
defies human understanding: “How many times must I forgive?” We know well Jesus’ answer: “Seventy times seven,”
meaning as many times as someone sins against us . Because
the Bible provides a clear answer, we avoid this question .
Yet Christians today ask a question that appears different,
but in reality is closely related .

When Must I Forgive?
To answer this question, let’s begin by asking a different
question . Since we are to forgive as God forgives us, when
did or does God forgive you?

Small-Group Reflection Questions
1 . When did or does God forgive you? Look up the
following verses as you answer the question:
a . 1 John 1:9
b . Acts 2:38
c . Matthew 26:26–28
d . Romans 5:8
e . John 19:30
f . Genesis 3:15
g . Ephesians 1:4
2 . If Christ died for the sins of the whole world, and if God
forgave us while we were still sinners, before we were
born, before we repented and confessed our sin, then
why does not everyone go to heaven? See John 3:16–18 .
2010 Convention Proceedings