FORGIVENESS

Ephesians 1:7

  1. Intro.
    1. sometime when we read a verse of Scripture, we fail to grasp the whole meaning of it
      1. we all know that God can and will forgive sin
      2. we are all in need of forgiveness, even after salvation
      3. how and why does God forgive sin
    2. "forgiveness" means to bear the burden
      1. if someone owed you a $1000 and you forgave the debt, it means you bore the burden of the debt
      2. Jesus Christ can forgive because He has borne our burden
        1. He bore our sins in His own body
        2. He paid our debt, He suffered our hell
  2. the measure of forgiveness - "according to the riches of his grace"
    1. forgiveness is not according to the character of the offender
      1. it is according to the character of the offended one
      2. many believe that forgiveness is based on their own character
        1. must live a good and moral life to be forgiven (not true)
        2. forgiveness is based on the character of the offended
        3. only the offended one can forgive
        4. He forgives "according to the riches of his grace", not our character
      3. God has forgiven some awfully bad characters (Paul)
        1. we may talk of big and little sins, but in reality there is no such thing
        2. all sin is exceedingly wicked
        3. people do not go to hell for sin in their lives, but for refusing the payment Christ made for sin
        4. sin has been settled 2000 years ago at Calvary
        5. forgiveness is not based on our character, but on the character of the offended one
      4. the character of the offended one
        1. God has a wealth of mercy - Ephesians 2:4
        2. God is not standing with a big club, waiting for us to make a mistake - Psalm 145:8
        3. God’s mercy will not change - Psalm 100:5
      5. if forgiveness is according to the riches of His grace, then sinners should be encouraged
    2. forgiveness is not according to the number of sins committed
      1. God has no problem forgiving sin
        1. God doesn’t look at a person deep in sin and say, " I’ll have to work on this one"
        2. God can forgive the dirtiest sinner, as well as the innocent 5 year old
        3. 2000 years ago God took all the sins of the world and placed them on Jesus Christ
      2. Jesus came to save sinners
        1. notice that God does not specify any certain kind of sinner (good, fair, vial)
        2. He came to save sinners, and if you are one, you qualify for salvation
      3. here is encouragement for those who think they have gone to far for God to forgive
    3. forgiveness is not according to how old we are
      1. it is a blessed thing when a young one come to Christ
      2. if we wait till mid-life or even old age, forgiveness can be had
      3. danger in waiting
    4. forgiveness is not according to our remorse
      1. some feel that we must make God’s heart tender with many tears (not true)
      2. God is not a hardhearted bully
      3. our tears cannot soften His already tender heart
      4. forgiveness is not according to sorrow or agony, but according to the riches of His grace
      5. it is not necessary to talk god into something He wants to do
        1. God wants to forgive more than we want to be forgiven
        2. He took the initiative by coming into this world and dying for our sins
        3. God wants us in heaven more than we want to go to heaven
    5. forgiveness is not according to the strength of our faith
      1. many poor sinners have said, "I just don’t have enough faith"
        1. where does the Bible say that we need much faith to be saved?
        2. "believe (much) on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" - acts 16:31
        3. if you have a small faith and put it in Jesus Christ, you get a great big salvation
      2. the question is not how big is your faith, but where is your faith - Luke 8:22-25
        1. this wasn’t the absence of faith, but a matter of misplaced faith
        2. Jesus was asking, "what are you trusting in"
          1. are you trusting in the boat
          2. are you trusting in your ability as a sailor
      3. this question is important for us today, "where is your faith"
      4. salvation is not a matter of behaving, but a matter of believing
        1. our testimony depends on our behavior
        2. salvation depend on where our faith is
    6. forgiveness is not according to what I am or what I have done, but according to the riches of His grace
  3. the manner of forgiveness
    1. it is absolutely free - "according to the riches of his grace"
    2. it is easy for God to forgive
      1. His mercy is unlimited; He never runs out of mercy
      2. God has an infinite supply of mercy
  4. the means of forgiveness - "In whom we have..." - Ephesians 1:7
    1. the "whom" is Jesus Christ
      1. there is no forgiveness outside of Jesus Christ
        1. not through a church
        2. not through a priest
        3. not through any rituals
      2. forgiveness of sins comes to us entirely through Jesus Christ
    2. it is a present forgiveness - "in whom we have..."
      1. it is not something we hope to get
      2. we have it now (an assurance of salvation)
    3. we must each decide if we will accept the forgiveness