Forgiving One Another
Notes
Transcript
Today we are going to continue in our summer sermon series looking at some of the “one another” commands that we find in Scripture and some practical ways in which we can make changes in our lives in relation to these commands. Actually, this is the second to last message in our series, as next week we will wrap up with loving one another. We have talked about encouraging one another, praying for one another, valuing or considering one another, comforting one another, showing hospitality toward one another, caring for one another and humility toward one another. At the end of those messages we ended with several practical steps we might take to improve how we do with these commands in our own lives. We’ve been challenged to let God point out to us how we are doing and what we might do differently as we continue to allow him to transform us. I hope that we all have taken these to heart as we considered how we might be able to work on how we might become more intentional about live life among each other.
As we get started, I have a question for you to think about. When I mention forgiving one another, what comes to your mind? How good are you at forgiving those around you in your daily life? I believe that forgiveness is one of the hardest things and one of the most difficult things for us in the western church. We struggle with things such as pride and selfishness in our culture, and we have very little tolerance for each other, especially if we are on different sides of an issue or support different political parties, for instance.
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
I love this passage in Colossians. I want us to focus for just a moment on the first verse. Paul is great at telling it the way it is sometimes. Let me read verse 1-2 from the Message paraphrase, as I love how bluntly is reads:
1 So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.
2 Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.
If we are serious about living our lives in Christ then we need to ACT on it! We need to take action, we need to live this way. Have you noticed how just about all of these one another passages talk about the actions we need to take as believers in Christ! Paul has a recurring theme here that I believe is vitally important for us today.
If we are followers of Christ, then we need to take it seriously and allow God to continue to transform us through His Spirit into people who live out this new life to which we are called.
When we come to faith in Christ through forgiveness from God and repentance on our part, our lives are to be different. In fact, did you catch in verse 3 how our old lives are dead? God has not only forgiven us, but has also forgotten it.
In verse 5-9 we see a descriptions of things we are to put off or rid from our old life. They are to be gone and things that we repented or turned away from. These include sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed. But did you notice the extension of the list in verses 8-9? Anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language. You see this new creation that we are made into is to be completely contrary to our old, selfish, human focused selves. It is to be renewed in knowledge of our Creator, God himself. We do that by being in the Word, spending time in prayer, worshiping corporately, and Bible study.
In verse 12, I want us to notice the things Paul mentions to clothe ourselves with as God’s people. I want you to notice how many of these things are some of the same “one anothers” that we have talked about from elsewhere in Paul’s letters, or a practical expression we can have of one of these. We are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. This new life created in us by God is to be drastically different to the point that people notice the change in us.
These five virtues we see in verse 12 are to stand in bold relief to the list of vices we see in verse 5 and 8. They are each an attitude that should prevail in the church and among believers. Let me read those virtues again: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Heartfelt compassion and kindness refer to the mutual concern members of the body of Christ express for one another. Paul also uses these words to describe God and Christ as well.
Humility is the appropriate attitude for any person to have before God. It imitates the mind of Christ as the pattern for life in the church. Self-interest must be set aside along with any spirit of competition. We are to consider others better than ourselves.
Gentleness stands opposed to a powerful presence that intimidates others. The be gentle calls for recognizing the need to adapt to the needs of others.
Patience reveals the length to which one will go to live faithfully within the give and take of life in the church. It speaks of perseverance - remaining steadfast in time of trouble.
It is important to understand these five virtues as we move to verse 13. As Christians practice these virtues, they take on the character of Christ and begin to “imitate” his life. To the extent that believers reflect Jesus, we bear with each other, and when necessary forgive one another.
Bear with one another. That means that we are to “put up with” or “endure” each other as part of the body of Christ. We will not always agree on everything. We may not even always “like” one another. However, Paul is also imploring us to demonstrate divine care for each other.
I want to take just a moment and ground us on the idea of forgiveness and what it is.
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Forgiveness
Forgiveness. Ceasing to feel resentment for wrongs and offenses; pardon, involving restoration of broken relationships. Primarily, forgiveness is an act of God, releasing sinners from judgment and freeing them from the divine penalty of their sin. Since only God is holy, only God can forgive sin (Mk 2:7; Lk 5:21). Forgiveness is also a human act toward one’s neighbor, given new incentive and emphasis in the NT because of God’s forgiveness in the death of Christ. Hence forgiveness is a uniquely Christian doctrine.
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Forgiveness
FORGIVENESS. Forgiveness is the wiping out of an offense from memory; it can be effected only by the one affronted. Once eradicated, the offense no longer conditions the relationship between the offender and the one affronted, and harmony is restored between the two. The Bible stresses both human forgiveness and divine forgiveness: The latter is the divine act by which the removal of sin and its consequences is effected.
Forgiveness requires action. It requires us to think differently from our culture. It requires us to look at the example of Christ to fully understand. Forgiveness requires the following:
ceasing to feel resentment for wrongs and offenses
pardon - restoring broken relationships
In this passage in Colossians 3, the Greek verb that is translated to forgive refers to an act of grace freely given to someone undeserving. This is different that the word found in the Gospels for forgiveness. Its use here in Colossians 3 indicates that Paul is urging the Colossians to express the same unmerited concern for others in the church that God freely demonstrates to all through Christ.
If “grace” is favor incapable of being earned, then no member of the church can be excluded from its reach. “Grace” treats everyone within the body of Christ as if they are worthy of respect and care (Rom 15:7).
The Lord’s prayer established this idea that fellowship within the body of Christ depends on the basic principle of mutual forgiveness.
The teachings of Christ frequently stand in opposition to the dominant values of culture. An unforgiving spirit results from deep-seated selfishness, which breaks the bonds of trust within a community. Left unchecked, it eventually destroys unity of the body (1 Cor 3:16–17), leaving people without hope for the future.
Paul encourages the members of the church to follow the example of the Lord Jesus as they practice mutual forgiveness. The grievance they may have against someone needs to be forgiven. An unforgiving spirit plants seeds that produce a harvest of division (1 Cor 1:10–17).
In fact, forgiveness is so important that we find these words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount after teaching his disciples how to pray:
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
As we wrap up this morning, I have some thoughts for us to consider as we consider how we might apply this in our own lives.
See forgiveness as your responsibility, regardless if the someone else is not seeking your forgiveness.
One of the reasons why you may hang on to a grievance is that you may believe that you are letting the other person off the hook by offering them forgiveness. In fact, it’s not actually about the other person. Forgiveness is our responsibility as believers. When we forgive others and let go of the grievance we may have with them, we no longer have to suffer, so that you can find peace and provide closure to the situation. The longer you hold on to a grievance, the more likely you are to have sleepless nights, stress and other unhealthy conditions. If the person is not ready to accept your forgiveness, give it anyways. We cannot control someone else’s actions.
Stop ruminating on what happened and the associated negative feelings.
Going over and over the same situation and negative feelings will only continue to be unproductive. Give yourself an opportunity to express how you feel to the relevant person, or if that is impossible (for example, if they are no longer alive), write it down in your journal, or talk about it with a trusted person. Expressing yourself and articulating exactly how it made you feel will help to release the grievance or grudge.
Identify your experience of the grudge or grievance.
When you’ve had something happen to you as a result of someone else’s behavior, it is hard to entertain the notion of offering forgiveness. One of the best ways to start the process is to identify your experience of the grudge. What are your actual feelings, thoughts and sensations around the situation? Most likely it will be a dark, sad and heavy feeling, which you have quite possibly played over and over in your mind. It can help to write this down, which will enable you to try to discover a new experience of the grudge so that you can release it once and for all.
Consider the impact holding on to the grudge has on you.
Ask yourself what areas of your life it has affected. Has it stopped you from living the life you once had? Has it impacted your relationship with Christ? How would your life change if you practiced forgiveness? Remember that what happened was in the past and the very fact you are continuing to hold on to it will only keep it in the future for as long as you let it. Perhaps it is not only affecting you but those around you. Consider how your relationships will change if you choose differently.
Folks, I am not saying this is easy, especially in certain situations. It can take time to process what happens to us and deal with the resulting hurt, lack of trust, and many other thoughts and emotions. But I do know this. As we continue to let God transform us through His Spirit, it becomes much easier and more natural for forgiveness to be our go to.
BENEDICTION:
Go from here as witnesses of what you have seen and heard. Share God’s love with those you meet. Bring hope to those who are in despair.
Live lives of gratitude and praise. And may the love of God, the peace of Jesus Christ, and the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit be within you and among you until we meet again.
Go, proclaiming the name of the Father, of the Risen Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.
https://voxveniae.com/2013/04/liturgy-reflection-benediction-04-07-13/
Go in peace and BE THE CHURCH THIS WEEK