Tag: forgiveness

Making the Unknown Known

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(Acts 17:22-31)

We love being “in the know.” It sets us apart from those around us who aren’t. When we’re in the know, suddenly others are more interested in us, possibly even impressed by us, because we have some coveted knowledge or information that interests them. It makes us feel good to be the center of attention like that.

The other reason we like being in the know is that we don’t enjoy the feeling of being out of the loop. We don’t like feeling inferior or dumb because we don’t have that insider information. We fear being looked down on or teased for not knowing something that it seems everyone else but us knows. 

Either view exposes the underlying problem when it comes to having insider information or being “in the know”: it reveals how self-centered we are. It reveals how inherently we want everything to revolve around us.

It’s really essential for us to acknowledge our self-centeredness when discussing the topic of evangelism, witnessing, sharing our faith, or telling others about Jesus – whichever phrase you prefer. If we refuse to acknowledge our self-centeredness, here’s what ends up happening: we construct our own castles and comfortably hide out inside them until someone calls us out.

Why do we hide there? Because we want to avoid hearing the stinging conclusion about our self-centeredness as it pertains to evangelism: we are naturally more concerned about our own reputation than we are about others’ salvation. While we proudly display the He > I stickers for all to see on the back of our cars, but wouldn’t dare display the sticker that says My reputation > your salvation.

If it wasn’t true that we care more about our reputation than others’ salvation, then we would identify our fears or weaknesses when it comes to witnessing AND make progress in working through them. We’d face the fear of possible rejection. We’d learn more instead of “not knowing how.” We’d connect with more people if “all our friends are Christians.” These – and every other castle we could construct – could actually be overcome with effort, but that effort won’t be exerted until we come to grips with the truth that we are more concerned about our own reputation than others’ salvation.

One doesn’t need to question which was the greater concern for the apostle Paul. He was on a missionary journey sowing the seeds of the gospel to bring salvation to as many as possible. Having previously been in Thessalonica for a matter of weeks until he was forced out, he then went to Berea until he was tracked down yet again by those opposing his message, and then found himself ushered by the believers into Athens. While he was waiting to be rejoined by his travel companions, he noticed the sea of idols throughout the city and was compelled to say something. 

There were a number of ways he typically would carry out his mission work, often including going to the local synagogue and preaching. Additionally, he spent time daily discussing Jesus’ resurrection with any who would listen. Not surprisingly, in a city like Athens, known for its pastime of robust philosophical discussions, Paul was eventually invited to the Areopagus, the “Hill of Aries,” or Mars Hill.

This was the primary location for such discussions and where the political council met in ages past. Ironically, on a hill named after a mythological god in a city rife with idols to false gods, Paul seized the opportunity to proclaim the true God. Because Paul was more concerned about others’ salvation than his own reputation. 

Paul’s concern for others’ salvation is abundantly clear in his writings, too. “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court” (1 Corinthians 4:2-3). In fact, Paul cared so desperately about the salvation of his fellow Jewish people that considered the possibility of giving up his own salvation for their sake, if that were somehow possible. “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel” (Romans 9:1-4a). Wow!

So how does it make you feel when you see Paul held up on a pedestal for his impassioned zeal to save hell-bound souls? Does it leave you feeling enamored and in awe of him to such a degree that you are convinced more than ever that Paul is in a league of his own? Does he inspire you to want to be more like him, to be so focused on soul-saving that you cast aside any concern for what people might think of you and give everything you can to reaching the lost? Or does mention of Paul’s mission zeal leave you rolling your eyes and tuning out because “good for Paul, but I’m not Paul” after all? Regardless of how you feel about Paul, we need to consider why Paul was so driven to put so much energy into reaching the lost.  

It wasn’t his natural public speaking ability or his knack for influencing or some specialized training he had received. No, it wasn’t any of these. What was it that made Paul such a powerful evangelist? He knew how much he was forgiven.

Paul expressed this powerfully in his first letter to Timothy: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life” (1:15-16). Paul didn’t consider himself great; he considered himself the worst! It’s because he thought so little of himself that he thought so highly of Christ! Paul knew he was exactly the type of sinner Jesus came into the world for – the type who needed forgiving.

Remember the sinful woman washing Jesus’ feet? When the self-righteous religious crowd witnessing it balked at 1) Jesus allowing a sinner to touch him and 2) someone wasting such expensive perfume for washing feet, Jesus gave a rather simple explanation. “She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal” (Luke 7:47, The Message). Her meek modeling of generosity flowed from having been personally flooded with forgiveness!

Do you know how forgiven you are? When it comes to being in awe of forgiveness, it is usually in connection with the “big” sins that we tend to think are in their own class. And indeed, such instances do showcase how amazing forgiveness is.

But you know when else we need to be reminded of how forgiven we are? When we consider the sins that hardly register a blip on our radar. The ones that come so easily to us. The ones we commit so effortlessly. The ones that we think so little of as to not even really need to acknowledge them.

We’re such experts at swiping through video shorts with expert speed and precision to filter out the ones that don’t entertain us, that we fail to turn on our faith filter and imagine if Jesus would be laughing if he was sitting with me soaking it up.

A witty rip escapes my lips and its lack of love is lost amidst all the laughs it gets.

Since violence and gore so easily ooze into nearly every show or game produced nowadays, their prevalence prevents us from reflecting on whether or not graphic depictions honor God in any way.

The offensive language in our music doesn’t count in our minds so long as we make it clear to others that we are aware it’s offensive and inappropriate… as we keep on listening to it.

See how quickly and effortlessly sin stacks up in our lives without hardly registering in our minds as such? And it’s precisely the sheer quantity of those forgiven sins alone that ought to dizzy us with the depth of forgiveness that Jesus extends to us. Paul thought he was the worst of sinners? The crowds thought the woman at Jesus’ feet was despicable? They haven’t seen anything yet! I put them to shame. You put them to shame. We’re able to sin in ways that weren’t even around yet at their times! Do you know what that means?

It means we’re forgiven in more ways, too.

Do you know how forgiven you are? We do not so easily brush aside our sins as trivial, and make so little of the precious blood your Savior spilled for us. His whole time on earth crescendoed to his crucifixion, the greatest act of injustice in the history of the world, endured for our sin – sin that demanded nothing less. Sin that we welcome and embrace so easily and openly. Sin that has been forgiven so fully and completely. And at such a dear price. 

And… that has been made known to you. Not only do we know that it happened, what Jesus did for us, but we also believe it! How many souls on this planet right now are going about their lives without knowing their sin has been forgiven? How many are indifferent to, ignorant of, ashamed of, guilt-ridden by, or self-medicating because of the sins they don’t know have already been fully and completely forgiven?

Many have never heard the name of Jesus. Others know the name but not the significance. Either way, their Savior is unknown to them.

But that same Savior is not unknown to you. He is known by you, loved by you, and gave himself for you. Can we now give ourselves to him by making him known to others? 

“Habits of His Grace: Forgiveness”

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(Luke 7:36-50)

What would the scenario have to look like today? You are the host of the party. You are Simon. While unlikely, perhaps your motives in inviting Jesus are pure and you’re still searching to discover what you should think of him. Or, the whole thing is just a setup to see to hopefully see him stumble in a sticky situation. So in comes the woman with a sordid reputation… only in our day and age, we’d have to replace her with someone else? Whom might that be? Who would it really ruffle your feathers to see Jesus interact with in this way? A leading politician of the other political party you can’t stand? An outspoken activist for social justice? A proponent pushing pro-choice? An advocate for sexual or gender fluidity/orientation/preference? Because honestly, we’re so familiar with interactions Jesus had with sinful women in the Bible that we find ourselves rather sympathetically siding with the sinful women when we know those “no-good rotten Pharisees” are looking down on them. But would we have the same sympathy if we replaced the sinful women with the types of people that would make us cringe if Jesus were to treat them the same way?

In other words, forgiveness is nice and tidy when we see Jesus extend it to a sinful woman in Scripture, but perhaps that leaves us unable to see in ourselves a bit of Simon who was so offended that Jesus would engage in any way whatsoever with such people. But maybe we’d see more of Simon in ourselves if we replace the sinful woman with one of today’s equivalents that would bring our blood to a boil to see Jesus treat them as he did the woman. Then perhaps we would grasp what is central to understanding the unique challenge of this habit of his grace, forgiveness: that the problem is rarely the way we prefer to frame it – with the sinner on the other end, but rather the sinner on this end who by nature is selectively stingy with forgiveness toward others.

That’s the real reason this habit of his grace is so difficult. It’s honestly because it shows what’s wrong with ourselves more than what’s wrong with anyone else. It shows how unlike Jesus you truly are. It shows how undeserving of Jesus’ forgiveness and mercy you truly are when you can’t apply forgiveness to someone else. It shows how unworthy of heaven you really are to choose a to bear a grudge rather than to forgive. It shows that hell is not actually some really awful place reserved for really awful people, but that it’s a place for people like you who cannot forgive. So when you’re ready to stop hanging on to the idea that forgiveness is so hard because of what someone else may have ever done to you and instead accept that it’s so hard because it shows the painful picture of how unJesus-like you actually are, then progress can be made. 

Because that’s when Jesus’ forgiveness for you reaches a new depth of meaning and significance. Like, say, such a stream of tears flowing down your cheeks that they are substantial enough to wash Jesus’ feet. “As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them” (v.38). Compare the night and day difference between Simon and the sinful woman in the presence of Jesus. One can’t keep it together because she’s so emotionally overcome by the gracious forgiveness that rightly connects with its source, Jesus. The other can hardly keep it together because he’s nearly emotionally overcome with outrage by the sight of supposedly upstanding Jesus allowing a sinful woman to touch his feet! One was well aware of her sin and the joy of forgiveness; the other knew nothing of either. 

This was not only evident to Jesus, who alone can see the heart of each individual and know what is in it; but, that forgiveness had taken root in one heart and not the other was evident in their outward behavior, which Jesus didn’t hesitate to point out in front of everyone. “Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet” (v.44-46). That’s what forgiveness does – it won’t be kept concealed or hidden away to remain unseen; rather, it flows seamlessly into service. It blossoms into fruit. Forgiveness is the fertilizer which brings forth an abundant harvest of good works of love and service to others. The whole life of a Christian and anything good that comes from us can be traced all the way back to the radical power of forgiveness. Jesus connected that forgiveness to the woman’s humble service of gratitude: “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown” (v.47a). Forgiveness had made itself so evident and obvious through her act of great love.

And in that respect, faith’s forgiveness is so radically different than any poor imitation forgiveness the world tries to offer up. The world is willing to grant forgiveness only when it determines the guilty party to be deserving of it. The world demands certain qualifications must be met. A level of remorse must not only be expressed, but also shown by actions. The world decides when punishment must be rendered in place of forgiveness. Appropriate actions must precede forgiveness. And, if these qualifications aren’t met and someone still extends forgiveness, it leaves a bitter taste in the world’s mouth. It resents it and sees that kind of forgiveness as weak and powerless. That’s why not everyone had the same reaction when Brandt Jean extended forgiveness to his brother’s murderer in the courtroom about a year and a half ago. Some expressed disgust and disappointment over video of the high-profile case that showed him leave the witness stand to hug Amber Guyger, who murdered his brother, Botham Jean, in his own apartment. While many applauded his powerful words and actions expressing his forgiveness, others saw no place for such mercy.

While every one of us knows that we ought to praise such a fine example of forgiveness and imitate it, too often we imitate the world’s poor excuse for forgiveness instead of faith’s forgiveness. We take up our gavel as judge to determine when others deserve forgiveness. We decide who is forgiven and who is not. And sometimes we are even less inclined to forgive each other – fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, justifying it because we have a different standard for Christians… instead of remembering that being a Christian does not mean one has ceased to be a sinner. So if we decide that forgiveness is applied on the basis of one’s actions, then we have forgotten how forgiveness came about in the first place.

The sinful woman’s forgiveness wasn’t earned by her actions. Her washing of Jesus’ feet did not open the floodgates of forgiveness. Rather, it was the other way around! The floodgates of forgiveness brought on the tears and grateful foot washing. She was forgiven so much that it burst forth from her heart in a loving act of gratitude.

That was the point of the quick illustrative story Jesus told. “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” (v.41-42). We all know the type of story Simon would have preferred, the same type of story that little Pharisee in each of us would also prefer. That’s the one about the moneylender to whom two borrowers owed a certain amount of money. One of the borrowers was always on time with his payment. In fact, sometimes he was even early! Other times he even paid back more than his monthly payment. And, he had even been known to help others with their payments on occasion! The other borrower, however, was rarely on time with his payment and had a habit of just coming up short each month with what he owed. The moneylender was delighted in the borrower who was on time and went above and beyond to pay back his debt. But he was displeased by the other borrower who clearly was less than desirable. Simon and the proud Pharisee in each of us would love to have Jesus tell that story just once in his ministry! Oh, that we could find such a story somewhere in the Bible that would validate why we’re so deserving of what God gives us, because we are fine, upstanding Christians, doing our part to pay back the debt we owe!

Alas, Jesus never tells such a story. His story is always one about the borrower never being able to pay back a debt, and the lender having to cancel his debt. But if the other story would be told then we would be justified in withholding forgiveness from others who have wronged us or whom we perceive to be inferior in their Christian faith – those who never seem to pay back what they owe on time! But there is no such story. For there is no such borrower who can pay back a single cent of what is owed to a Holy Righteous God. Luther said it best: “wir sind alle Bettler” (“We are all beggars”). If we ever approach God with even an ounce of expectation, confident in self, thinking we just might have earned so much as a crumb from him, we will always be underwhelmed by what he gives us. But when we come to him with the heart of a humble beggar, holding out our hands desperately to receive whatever he might give us in her mercy, we will always be overwhelmed by what he gives us. And when we are always overwhelmed by what he gives us, we are on our way to establishing this habit of his grace as we overwhelm others with the same forgiveness Jesus has lavished on us.

At the beginning I asked who we’d have to replace the woman with for this account to strike a chord with us today. Who would really get under your skin to see Jesus interact with and lavishly forgive? But the greatest takeaway from this account is not to leave you today feeling more like Simon, guilty for being selectively stingy with forgiveness. No, today see yourself as the sinful woman. Because that’s who you are in this account, by God’s grace. We are always the sinful woman, which is to say we are always the forgiven woman. Let Jesus speak to you daily the words he spoke to the woman: “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (v.48, 50). Then, let our love show that we are forgiven. We have been forgiven so, so much. Let us love as much as we forgive others. 

Works Won’t Work (Sermon)

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We know that heaven isn’t earned, right? We know that our works count for nothing as far as our salvation is concerned, don’t we? So we say. Nevertheless, our way of thinking and our very lives themselves often reveal otherwise. This morning we take an honest look at our works and where they really rank in our lives.

“Works Won’t Work” (Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 sermon), was preached at Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) on Sunday, March 8, 2020.

Shield or Security Blanket?

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Photo by Pawel Czerwiński

There is nothing greater than forgiveness. 

In and through Jesus Christ, forgiveness is free, it is full, and it is forever. One cannot tire of the practice of reflecting on forgiveness and rejoicing in it every morning and every night. To know and be mindful of forgiveness is to find contentment, freedom, peace, and security in this life that otherwise escape us when we look for them anywhere else.

The question is, do you view this precious and powerful gift of forgiveness in Jesus more like a shield or a security blanket? When we come across a difficult call to action in the Bible that challenges us in our faith (like this or this!), do we quickly crawl under our security blanket of forgiveness, diminishing Jesus’ guidance for our lives because we haven’t/couldn’t/won’t ever be able to do the hard things to which Jesus calls us? Or, is forgiveness a shield that allows us to forge ahead boldly, straining and striving, testing and trying our faith through those challenging calls to action, confident that forgiveness will shield me from my own failures?  

Forgiveness is something special. It is something that ought to lead us to exercise our faith instead of excuse it. Why? Because forgiveness frees us from the fear of failure. 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:1 (NIV)

Forgiveness doesn’t lead to questioning, but to confidence. I don’t have to ever question my status before God when I fail in trying to carry out the tough stuff, because I am confident of my status before God no matter what. That is the difference forgiveness makes. 

To know forgiveness is to begin to grasp what Jesus had in mind when he said “I have come that they may have life…”; to live in that forgiveness is to experience what Jesus meant by adding “… and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Want to have life in Jesus to the full? Then see forgiveness less as a security blanket under which to hide and more as a shield behind which to forge ahead in faith.