November 1, 2015 The Lord's Prayer: The Real Final Four

Sermons are often a work in progress.  If you pay attention to the name of the sermon as printed in the study guide each week, you might notice that the title sometimes changes by Sunday morning.  In the study guide for this message I used the title Forever.  In the program this morning the title is The Final Four.  It’s changed once again and is now The Real Final Four.  Being in a state that is very serious about basketball, I decided to play off the idea of the final four as a title, but then decided to make it The Real Final Four in recognition of the more serious nature of the phrase we will study this morning.

Completing our study of the Lord’s Prayer, this week we come to the final phrase, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.  We will again read the Lord’s Prayer, as found in Matthew’s gospel, with another passage that also comes from Matthew’s gospel.

Matthew 6:5-15;

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Matthew 16:13-18

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

There are four words I want to focus on in that final phrase of the Lord’s Prayer, The Final Four – kingdom, power, forever, and amen.

1.  For thine is the kingdom.

There are a couple of unusual aspects to this final part of the Lord’s Prayer.  First, depending on the translation of the Bible that you use, you may be surprised to find the final phrase – for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen, missing.  In most of the newer translations this phrase is either placed in brackets or in a footnote.  The translations omit this phrase because it doesn’t appear in many of the early manuscripts of Matthew’s gospel. Interestingly, it begins to appear more often in the manuscripts that date to the time when the church was suffering terrible persecution under the Roman Empire.  It was an important reminder that came at a very difficult time and was a way of saying never give up!  Don’t lose hope.  Don’t lose faith.  Don’t despair.  The world is in the hands of God however much it may appear otherwise.  That was the message sent to a church under terrible persecution – God is in control, not the Roman Empire.

When Tanya and I were in Rome in May we visited the Colosseum.  I took this picture, which has some very interesting symbolism.  The cross in the picture marks the spot where the Roman Emperor was seated when he was in the Colosseum.  I was surprised to find it at ground level, as movies generally show it being elevated. 

It’s amazing that so much of the Colosseum still stands after so many centuries, but what is most interesting is to consider the fate of the Roman Emperor.  It’s been many centuries since the end of the line of emperors and many centuries since the end of the Roman Empire.  What would have once been inconceivable – that the Roman Empire would come to an end – is now a long proven historical fact.  The once invincible Roman Empire is long gone.  What an historical irony, that standing in the very spot where the Emperor – the seat of the office that sought to end the church and the Christian faith – is a cross, the symbol of that faith. The Colosseum was the location where some early Christians were put to death by the Roman Empire, but as it stands in ruins that cross proclaims that God’s kingdom continues to prevail.  Jesus said he will build his church and the very gates of hell will not prevail against it.  Kingdoms come and go, but God’s kingdom remains.  The Roman Empire is gone, just as the empires of the Greeks, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians before them.  Every kingdom has a shelf life and will eventually disappear, except for God’s kingdom.

How many of you feel hopeful about the state of the world?  It may not be in great shape, but it’s been in worse circumstances, and what has been the constant through the past two millennia?  The church.  Kingdoms rise and fall, but God’s church and God’s kingdom stands forever.  The political debates might occupy our attention for a brief moment in time, and the outcomes do have consequences for our lives, but they are but a moment in time.  God’s kingdom stands forever.

2.  For thine is the power.

The word kingdom is a reference to the larger picture of God’s kingdom.  The word power is a reference to the individual, and how God’s power can fill us and empower us for whatever comes our way.  When you feel as though you want to just give up, when your life gets to the point that you feel so overwhelmed you want to just throw up your hands and say what’s the use?  I give up!  I quit, remember that God’s power can fill you and give you strength for whatever difficulty you face. 

The evil in the world can cause us to lose hope, and some people have abandoned faith because of the evil they see or experience.  It is tempting to lose heart because of the struggles we face in life.  It is tempting to say what’s the use in trying?  It is tempting to say what I do doesn’t matter.  It is tempting to say nothing I do makes a difference.  But this final word of the Lord’s Prayer is a reminder that in spite of how bad things might appear, God is ultimately in control and he will fill us with the power to persevere. 

Scripture, on page after page, affirms that God is indeed in control.  The Old Testament book of Job is about the testing of Job and raises the question of whether he would be able to endure in spite of a series of great trials and testing.  In spite of all the difficulties Job experiences, he doesn’t lose faith.  In spite of the fact that Job’s friends encourage him to give up, he does not do so.  In 13:15 Job’s hold to his faith allows him to say though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.  The 23^rd Psalm reminds us that even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we can fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Isaiah 40:28-31 reminds us Do you not know?  Have you not heard? 
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. 
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. 
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Romans 8:37-39 reminds us who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Philippians 4:13 reminds us that we can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. 

The book of Revelation, often seen as only prophecy, is really a book to instill confidence in people who were suffering terribly under persecution.  So many of the images in Revelation are of a God so much mightier and more powerful than the armies of Rome.  God is still in control is the message of Revelation.  It is his power that is at work in the world and it is his power that is the ultimate power.

3.  Forever.

Some years ago I had a young lady in my youth group who came up with an interesting idea about how we would spend our time in eternity.  She had evidently thought about this a great deal, and this was her idea – when we arrive in eternity we join a long line of others, all waiting to ask God a question.  When we arrive at the front of the line we are allowed to ask God one question – any question – which he will answer.  After we receive our answer we are sent to the back of the line to wait for another opportunity to ask our next question.  It didn’t sound all that appealing to me, but it seemed to her to be a good way to comprehend eternity.  It would be my luck, that the person in front of me would ask God my question, and not being able to think of another question quick enough, I would be sent to the back of the line! 

Time is an interesting concept.  We believe we never have enough time, and yet we don’t always appreciate the precious nature of the time we are given.  We certainly find it difficult to appreciate what it means to be part of a faith that stretches back so many millenia.  How do we comprehend a thousand years, two thousand years, and more?  II Peter 3:8 tells us that with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  We exist within time, while God does not, and we have an almost impossible time trying to understand such long passages of time.

It is so difficult to comprehend the passage of a millenia or two, so how do we comprehend a concept such as forever?  But what do I know about time?  I spent two hours yesterday trying to decide what to do with the extra hour we got from turning back the clocks.

I believe the message of the word forever is further confirmation that we should never grow discouraged and we should never quit.  We should never lose heart.  We should never lose faith.  Those words are a promise of the goodness of God and the faithfulness of God. 

There are countries in the world where groups are trying to drive Christians from the land.  They need to know the promise and the hope of forever.

Forever, Jesus says.  Forever.  When the economies of the world are shaky and on the verge of collapse, God is in control, and he is in control forever.  When political instability threatens – God is in control – forever.  When wars and violence rage on, God is in control – forever.  When hatred seems to be getting the upper hand over love, God is in control – forever.  And when we are faced with our final breath we can find comfort in the promise of the 23^rd psalm that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Some of you are facing tremendous challenges.  Some of you may be on the cusp of giving up.  Some of you may be wondering how you will make it.  Never give up.  Do not lose hope.  Don’t quit.  Your life doesn’t rise and fall on the stock market.  Your life doesn’t rest upon the success or failure of a political agenda.  Your destiny does not rest upon the report a doctor offers, but upon what is deeper, higher, and more powerful – that which lasts forever.  Forever!  Say it with me – Forever!

God is in control, forever.

4.  Amen.

It’s easy to think of the word amen as little more than the word we use to end a prayer.  For me, I always know when to end a prayer, because Trish Fegenbush will squeeze my hand if I pray too long.  When we are preparing to leave on a trip with the Recycled Teenagers or to offer a blessing before a meal, Trish always manages to stand next to me so she can squeeze my hand if I pray too long (and she will probably want to squeeze my neck for saying this!)

Amen means let it be so.  In one way, the words let it be so can be spoken with a sense of resignation, as in a sense of surrender.  But that is not the way we are asked to say amen.  To say let it be so is an acknowledgement that all of these promises in the Lord’s Prayer, and all of these affirmations of the Lord’s Prayer, and all of the hope that is infused into the Lord’s Prayer have been true, they are true, and they always will be true.

Amen to Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Let it be so!

Amen to Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Let it be so!

Amen to Give us this day our daily bread. Let it be so!

Amen to And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Let it be so!

Amen to And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.  

Let it be so!

Amen.  

October 25, 2015 The Lord's Prayer: Overcoming Temptation

For some reason, I’m always excited about getting the mail.  When I was young, I would make the long walk up our driveway to the mailbox with great anticipation, even though I seldom received anything in the mail.  As an adult, that anticipation continues to exist, although it’s generally bills and junk mail that await me in the mailbox.  But there are two times each year when I get extra-excited about the mail, because I know what will soon arrive. 

Every spring and every fall this catalogue – the Sweetwater Pro Gear catalogue arrives in the mail.  It is a musician’s wish book, and for me, it is 600+ pages of pure temptation.  While I was on sabbatical I traveled to Fort Wayne, Indiana to visit here, and while there was able to meet a few of my musical heroes, one of whom is Paul Reed Smith, founder of Paul Reed Smith Guitars.  PRS is the largest guitar manufacturer, after Gibson and Fender, and they are wonderful, beautiful instruments.  I was very excited to meet Paul Reed Smith and to have my picture taken with him.  He was very kind and gracious to me, which made it more embarrassing for me to realize – after he left – that I was wearing a shirt that said, in big letters – Fender Guitars.

Each of us has something that provides a regular source of temptation.  Maybe you have a catalogue that comes in your mail, or a store that you cannot pass without your feet carrying you through the door.  As we continue our series of messages from the Lord’s Prayer, our topic is temptation, as we come to the phrase and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

When we talk about temptation today, there are two common reactions people will express.  Some people hear the word temptation as a product of a bygone era, as little more than a quaint reminder of a time when people worried about such things.  Or, temptation is viewed as a rather benign force that doesn’t have all that much power in the world or over our lives.  To them, temptation is little more than a question of whether or not we should have that second donut in the morning.

But like the other phrases in the Lord’s Prayer, the words we study this morning are neither simple nor easy, and they serve as a reminder that temptation is far more serious than admiring a guitar in a catalogue, desiring a piece of clothing in a store window, or being able to walk away from a plate of donuts.

Let’s read the Lord’s Prayer, and a parallel passage from the book of James, and then we’ll talk more about our topic.

Matthew 6:5-15

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

James 1:13-17

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.

15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.

17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

1.  Temptation is a manifestation of the evil that seeks to destroy our lives.

Notice that Jesus connects two words in this sentence – temptation and evil.  Some people see this sentence as containing two separate and unrelated phrases – And lead us not into temptation as one phrase and but deliver us from evil as another.  But these are not two separate phrases; they are a single, powerful reminder given to us by Jesus, and it is this – temptation is something far deeper and far more destructive than what we often think.  Temptation is a manifestation of the evil from which we should pray to be delivered.

It is a mistake, a very serious mistake, to see temptation as something that is relatively mild, as though it is little more than trying not to eat a donut or staying out of a store that will tempt us to spend money.  The truth is that temptation is a force that is bent on destroying our lives.

Genesis 4:6-7 tells us part of the story of Cain and Abel. In these verses, God comes to Cain and speaks to him, noting the anger that has welled up within him.  God says to Cain, 6 Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.

I find the words – sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it – to be both fascinating and troubling.  Fascinating because of the manner is which temptation and evil are portrayed – as an active force that is aggressive in its attempts to wreak havoc on our lives – and troubling because we are reminded that temptation is always working against us.

2.  Temptation is subtle.

At one of the Louisville hospitals there is an elevator with a button that has had me wondering for several years.  I can’t understand the logic of why this elevator has been designed in such a way, but when you look for the button to call the elevator, it’s actually a bit hard to find.  But just above it is another button, very easy to find, and it looks like the button you should push to call the elevator.  But the button is labeled Code Blue.  I stood there looking at that button the other day, like I have many other times, and wondered what is a code blue?  I think I know a way to find out.  Push the button.  I have a suspicion that it doesn’t do anything; it’s just there to tempt people like me. I think that, if I push it, a big gotcha sign will pop out (thanks to the people who reminded, after the services, that a code blue means that someone’s heart has stopped.  So I guess if I push that button the hospital staff will come after me with a crash cart, so on second thought, I don’t think I’ll yield to the temptation of pushing it!)  It’s just a button, but it intrigues me to the point that it stays in my mind and I think about it.

Temptation is very subtle.  Temptation is sometimes very obvious, but it is many more times very subtle, just sitting there, quietly drawing us in.

Reading the gospels, I often feel sorry for Peter.  He gets a lot of things right, but he gets a lot of things wrong as well.  In Matthew chapter 16 we read of the time when Jesus took his disciples to Caesarea Philippi, and there asked them the question who do people say the Son of Man is? (verse 13).  Peter, in a moment of great insight, answered with his famous confession, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God (verse 16).  After Peter’s response, Jesus went on to tell the disciples these words - 

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”

Doesn’t it seem reasonable what Peter said?  It does, in one sense, but Peter didn’t understand what he was really saying to Jesus, in spite of his earlier flash of insight that Jesus is the Son of God.  I’m sure Peter felt he was doing what was right, but he wasn’t.  Peter was not helping Jesus; he was standing in the way of the mission of Jesus.  Temptation can be so subtle that it often presents itself as not only a good option, but the correct option.

3.  Temptation draws us slowly in.

I don’t remember sermons very well, including my own.  But there are a few that have stayed with me over the years.  One of those was a message about temptation, and though I can’t tell you many of the details, the outline has stayed with me for many years.  It’s a very simple outline, but serves as a powerful reminder of what temptation does to us – temptation always takes us further than we want to go, keeps us longer than we want to stay, and costs us more than we want to pay. 

The classic example of this, I believe, is the story of David, in particular, the story of David, Bathsheeba, and Uriah.  David, for all of his virtues, had some great struggles in life.  For all of his accomplishments, David had some great tragedies as well, and some of them came as a result of temptation that slowly drew him in.

In II Samuel 11 we find this story, and it tells us of how David found himself very much drawn into the reality of the fact that temptation always takes us further than we want to go, keeps us longer than we want to stay, and costs us more than we want to pay.  One step at a time, David walked further and further down the road to temptation, until he eventually found himself in a place where so many lives had been hurt.  From the first step of watching Bathsheeba, to becoming involved with her, to the point of having her husband put to death, David was drawn slowly into the trap of temptation.

The danger of temptation is that we sometimes don’t see it coming our way, and we find ourselves in the position where we ask how did I get here?

4.  Temptation is a test of our faith.

I only played one year of organized football, and that was way back in junior high school.  I still remember, though, our coach telling us that the key to building muscle was resistance.  Resistance is the basis of many exercises, and certainly the basis for building physical strength.  In a sense, temptation is how spiritual muscle is created, as we face resistance on a spiritual level.

Interestingly, the word the Bible uses for temptation can be translated as test.  When Jesus was led into the wilderness, after his baptism, it was a time of testing.  To be tested in such a way is not just temptation, but a way of testing the depth of our faith and character, so we can call it a test of character and faith.  The book of James tells us that God does not tempt us, but temptation is certainly a test of our faith, and as we push back against those tests and temptations, it helps us to build a stronger faith.

Sermons are often a work in progress, sometimes right into Sunday morning.  For me, the hardest part is the conclusion, finding a way to wrap up the thoughts I share and to make a final emphasis on the points.  I will often remark to Tanya during the week that I can’t find my way out of this sermon.  Last night I told her I couldn’t figure out how to get out of this one, and she said she would try to think of an idea.  This morning, she told me that she hadn’t come up with anything, and in the early service I could only manage to sum up a couple of thoughts.  As I sat in the early part of this service (our 11:00 worship), I continued to think how do I get out of this?  It suddenly struck me that those words – how do I get out of this? – are words we often mutter to ourselves when we have yielded to temptation.  Temptation, after completing its destructive, subtle work, brings us to a place where we are surprised to be, and where we say how do I get out of this?  The simple answer, of course, is to keep ourselves from arriving at such a point.  In order to protect ourselves, never forget that temptation is a powerful, powerful force, active and seeking to destroy our lives.  But remember also that we love and serve a God of life, who is always seeking our best and provides the strength to resist temptation!

October 18, 2015 The Lord's Prayer: The Power and Challenge of Forgiveness

Matthew 6:5-15

Luke 23:32-34

Donald Trump received a lot of attention several weeks ago for saying this about whether or not he has ever sought forgiveness from God – I am not sure I have.  I just go on and try to do a better job from there.  I don't think so.  I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture.  I don’t.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/18/politics/trump-has-never-sought-forgiveness/

My first reaction upon hearing those comments was to shake my head, but perhaps he was expressing the feelings of many when he uttered those words.  Forgiveness is tough, it is difficult, and, if we are honest, it is also something we would often rather ignore.

As we continue through the Lord’s Prayer we come to the phrase forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  Or forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Hear again, the Lord’s Prayer, and a passage from Luke’s gospel that provides the ultimate testimony of forgiveness.

Matthew 6:5-15 –

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, (leave out next phrase ) as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Luke 23:32-34 –

32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.

33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Did you notice that I left out part of a verse?  I skipped the line as we forgive our debtors.  It wasn’t an oversight; I did it to make a point.  If we’re honest, we might admit that we would prefer to leave out that part of the Lord’s Prayer, because of the difficulty of offering forgiveness.

Jesus taught about many subjects, and there are certain themes he returned to on multiple occasions.  One of the regular themes in the preaching of Jesus is that of forgiveness.  The words Jesus spoke about forgiveness are some of the most radical and challenging words he offered throughout his earthly ministry.  It was not just that he pronounced God’s forgiveness for sins – which did offend some people, because they could not accept who he was – but because so many did not want to see forgiveness granted to others, and in that respect, human nature has not changed much in the ensuing two thousand years.

Forgiveness is one of those topics that make us squirm, because we recognize how incredibly difficult forgiveness can be. I think that if we are really honest, we will admit that forgiveness comes neither easy nor natural to us.

When we talk about forgiveness, we also have to say a few words about what brings about the need for forgiveness, which is the brokenness of humanity and our sin.  The New Testament uses five different words for sin, whereas in English, we have only one.

1.  Hamartia – this is the most common word used for sin, and it means a missing of the target.  It is a failure to be what we were created to be.  This is different from committing a particular action; it is being satisfied with how we are rather than how we could be.  It is not unusual to be tempted to be content with our lives, thinking well, I’m just as good as anyone else and therefore, good enough.  The real question, however, that we must ask ourselves is this – are we everything God desires us to be and created us to be?

2.  Parabasis – which means a stepping across.  This is an action that steps over a clearly marked line of right and wrong.  It’s the concept of a line in the sand, where there is a clear distinction between right and wrong.  Sometimes we eye that line for a long time, and then make a conscious decision to take that step across the line.  It is a very willful, obvious act of disobedience.

In our congregation, we use the version of the Lord’s Prayer that contains the words trespass and trespasses.  The word trespass means there is a line you don’t cross.  To forgive those who trespass against us is an acknowledgement that someone has crossed a line of what is right, what is good, and what is acceptable and have done something that causes some kind of hurt to us.  It acknowledges there has been real hurt that has taken place. 

3.  Paraptoma – which means a slipping across.  This is similar to slipping on ice, where an action is not as deliberate but comes more from carelessness or neglect.  We often use language to describe these types of actions, such as saying we have slipped up.  There is no thought or plan in this type of action; it just seems to happen, causing us to ask, how did that happen?  How did things go this far?  We don’t go from point A to point B in a single step, but one small, sometimes unknowing step at a time, slipping further and further down a path that so often leads to heartbreak.

4.  Anomia – which means lawlessness.  This is when a person knows what is right, but very specifically does what is wrong.  It’s the kind of action that reflects an attitude of I really don’t care what anyone thinks.  I’m going to live how I want and I don’t care who it hurts.

5.  Opheilema – this is the word used in the Lord’s Prayer, and it means a debt, specifically, a failure or inability to pay what is due. Some churches use the version of the Lord’s Prayer that contains the words debts and debtors, which express this idea. We usually think of the word debt as a financial word – someone owes a debt to someone else.  That’s how we sometimes see forgiveness.  When someone hurts us, we believe they owe us something.  They owe us an apology, they owe us an explanation, and they owe us restitution.  It is easy to hold the offense of the other person over their head and to place them in a position of being a debtor to us.

Jesus asks us to release that person from the position of being a debtor.  We are called to remove the shackles of guilt we want to fasten to them and we are called to release the other person from any sense of indebtedness to us.

Now, allow me to offer a few brief words about forgiveness –

1.  Forgive others.

Someone once said that we are most like God when we forgive.  I hope, then, that we are often like God.

But there are some very important considerations to make when we speak about forgiving others.

Very shortly after the shootings at the Immanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, early in the summer, some of the families quickly, and publicly, expressed their forgiveness to the shooter.  But not everyone agreed with this sentiment.  More than one editorial column said it was too soon to offer forgiveness, and one writer expressed this in very blunt language – Recently, I wrote that I believe in forgiveness.  I do. It is necessary to move on. But this was too fast. Too soon. Too quick.  This was instantaneous forgiveness of the unfathomable kind where the wounds were still fresh, the bodies unburied, the echo of that horrible sin still ringing. Forgiveness, depending on what one is forgiving, should come over time.  How much time?  Not this soon. Not this soon.

http://touch.courant.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83911917/

I can understand that sense of withholding forgiveness, but I think it is an incorrect view.  The writer of the editorial equated forgiveness, I think, with overlooking a terrible action.  To forgive quickly, he seems to imply, is to fail to adequately acknowledge just how terrible this tragedy was.  But others had a different view.  Listen to the words of an editorial offered by another writer –

When we suffer injustice, the human heart craves revenge, vindication and retaliation. These are also desires Christ came to save us from. Christians are commanded to respond to injustice with forgiveness. This principle is central to Jesus’ teaching in the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12). Immediately after this prayer, Jesus tells his disciples, “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.” (Matthew 6:14–15)

Later in the Gospel of Matthew, Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answers, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21–22) In other words, you cannot forgive someone enough.

The swift forgiveness offered by the victims’ families, as hard as that must have been, is what Christianity is all about. Forgiveness is an extension of love. Christians extend forgiving love to those who have wronged them — including their enemies — because this is God’s disposition toward them. God is love, and he calls his people to love. God forgives first and expects his people to do the same.

The grace of forgiveness, in turn, empowers forgiven people to forgive others.

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/6/christian-forgiveness-is-transforming-the-south.html

Allow me, then, to make a few brief observations about forgiving others.  

First, it is important to understand that forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same.  In an ideal world, reconciliation would come after forgiveness, but we do not live in an ideal world.  We live in a world where some people see the possibility of a reconciled relationship as an opportunity to continue inflicting their bad behavior and bullying upon the other person. That is neither wise nor healthy.  The reality is that some relationships contain such a toxic level of brokenness that the amount of pain and hurt caused make reconciliation all but impossible.  In such cases, reconciliation might never be possible, but forgiveness is. Forgiveness can come even if reconciliation never does. But we must understand that offering forgiveness does not mean that the hurt and pain caused by others are in any way acceptable, and it does not mean that we are asked to overlook them.  Forgiveness, in such circumstances, is very much an act of the will, and in situations where the hurt and the pain is so deep, it is necessary to call upon every ounce of our will to forgive.

Second, because forgiveness does not mean we must accept bad behaviors, enter into dysfunctional and codependent relationships, or overlook unacceptable actions, we are freer to make a conscious decision to forgive, which helps us refuse to allow the poison of bitterness to build up within our hearts and souls.  I am convinced that some people cannot offer forgiveness because they believe that in doing so they are admitting that their pain does not matter and that the actions of the other person are in some way excusable.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  To forgive someone does not mean that we cannot condemn their actions, nor does it mean that we cannot acknowledge the deep pain and hurt that it has called.  Forgiveness is sometimes confused with overlooking hurtful actions and pretending that nothing happened.  What forgiveness, and the offering of it, does is to release one from a desire for revenge as well as releasing the pain and bitterness that seeks to fester within our hearts.

Third, we should also forget everything we’ve ever heard about forgiving and forgetting.  I don’t know where the saying of forgive and forget originated, but it is both bad advice and bad theology.  We do not always forget hurts and offenses, but that does not mean that forgiveness has not taken place if we have not forgotten them.  We have so connected those two words – forgive and forget – in our minds that people believe forgiveness has not taken place unless they have completely removed the offense from their memory.   Human nature being what it is, our emotions constantly remind us of our painful experiences.  While we do not forget those experiences, we must be careful not to nurture their memories, with the end result being bitterness and resentfulness, but the fact that one does not forget them does not at all mean forgiveness has not, or cannot, take place.    

2.  Forgive ourselves.

Over the course of my ministry I have encountered scores of people who struggle to forgive themselves. As I sit and listen to people struggle to find a way to forgive themselves, I struggle over what to say to them.  In all my years of ministry I haven’t been able to find the words to help people find self-forgiveness.  The best I can seem to do is to say you need to forgive yourself.  But how does one do so?

All of us, perhaps, carry guilt over something we have done or something we have said. Perhaps there were words spoken that could never be taken back.  Perhaps it is guilt over missed opportunities.  Perhaps it is guilt over a broken relationship.  Perhaps it is guilt over an action that one deeply regrets. Whatever the cause, so many are desperate to find a way to forgive themselves, but they cannot do so.  

And, regrettably, some people sense that guilt and use it as a tool for manipulation.  Guilt is such a destructive force.  Let go of the guilt and offer yourself forgiveness.

3.  Forgive God.

This one may sound strange, but there are people who are angry with God and they cannot move past that anger.  Now, when I say that some people need to forgive God, I’m not saying God has done anything wrong.  What I am saying is that some people are angry because God has not done what they asked of him, what they hoped of him, or what they expected of him, and they are disappointed in him, and that disappointment has turned into anger.

Maybe it is anger because of praying so hard that someone would be healed, and they were not healed.  The person knows God could heal, but he didn’t, so disappointment sets in and then turns to anger.  Or, perhaps, life just didn’t turn out the way one has hoped, and they are angry about their life, and that anger is then directed at God.

I wonder if God might get more blame than credit.  Perhaps people are quicker to blame God when things go wrong than they are to credit him when things go right.

And when we talk about forgiving God, we should include the church as well.  There are a lot of people who have suffered hurt in churches and have joined what one writer has called the church alumni society.  Any person who has been involved in a church for long has most likely experienced some kind of disappointment and hurt, but some of it runs very deeply.

Forgiveness is incredibly difficult, but if we want to be like Jesus, if we want to be the people he asks us to be, that is what we are called to do.

The author Robert Louis Stevenson made it a practice to say the Lord’s Prayer every morning with his family.  One day, in the middle of the prayer, he got up off his knees and walked out of the room without saying a word.  His wife followed him out and asked what was wrong.  Referring to the verse we will study this morning, he said, I am not fit to pray the Lord’s Prayer (The Gospel of Matthew, Volume One, The Daily Bible Study Series, William Barclay, page 223).  

This is both the power and the challenge of forgiveness.  The power of forgiveness is how it can forever change a life, but the challenge of forgiveness comes from understanding all that is involved in its offering.