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Did you ever stop to think what Jesus’ first messages were about? The first two topics that appear in the Gospel of Mark are repentance and forgiveness. In chapter one we read,
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 1:15
In chapter two Jesus caused quite a stir among the religious authorities when he said to the paralyzed man who had been let down through the roof by his friends,
Son, your sins are forgiven.
Mark 2:5
The incident provided an occasion for Jesus to teach immediately that he had the power to forgive sins. At the end of his ministry, the angels who appeared to the disciples after Jesus’ ascension pointed to exactly the same two themes. They said,
“Repentance and the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations.”
Luke 24:47
In today’s message, Pastor Kelvin helps us to understand and experience God’s forgiveness. To do so he helps us first to remember the provision that God made for our forgiveness through Jesus’ death on the cross. Paul wrote,
In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins…
Eph. 1:7
In the back of Paul’s mind as he wrote was the original Passover release of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. At one point Paul called Jesus “our Passover Lamb” (1 Cor. 5:7) to bring out the same comparison and to remind us that it is the death of Jesus on the cross that sets us free from the power and penalty of sin.
Yet from a human perspective, we find it hard to forgive others and forget the injuries done to us. Our spirit can be vindictive or even vengeful. Also, we’re more likely to give some people a break than others. Does God react in similar ways? We hope for our sakes that the answer is no. But how do we know? What is God’s perspective? The prophet Jeremiah comes to our rescue as he brings a message from God,
I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.
Jer. 31:34
So God intentionally limits his own ability to remember things that he has forgiven. As a result, he doesn’t keep score like we do and God always responds to earnest repentance with forgiveness.
Lastly, Pastor Kelvin pointed out that God has three purposes in granting forgiveness. First he desires to change our sinful and and self-serving nature into one devoted to God. This results in us leading holy lives. Second, he desires to adopt us as spiritual children of God who have the status of heirs of eternal inheritance. And finally, since everyone, regardless of earthly differences, must all qualify for these blessings in exactly the same way, by receiving forgiveness through Jesus, God brings about unity as we all together worship the Trinity for their gift of forgiveness.