Pastor Sherry’s message for February 23, 2025

Scriptures: Gen 45:3-15; Ps 37:1-11, 39-40; 1 Cor 15:35-38, 42-50; Lk 6:27-38

Dr. Harry Ironside (1878-1951) was a gifted pastor who first served in the Salvation Army, then became the long term minister, and famous preacher, at the Moody Baptist Church in Chicago.  He told the following story:

On the Lord’s day a group of missionaries and believers in New Guinea were gathered together to observe the Lord’s Supper. After one young man sat down, a missionary recognized that a sudden tremor had passed through the young man’s body that indicated he was under a great nervous strain. Then in a moment all was quiet again. The missionary whispered, “What was it that troubled you?” “Ah,” he said, “But the man who just came in killed and ate the body of my father. And now he has come in to remember the Lord with us. At first I didn’t know whether I could endure it. But it is all right now. He is washed in the same precious blood.” And so together they had Communion. It is a marvelous thing, the work of the Holy Spirit of God. Does the world know anything of this?” 

(Borrowed from http://www.sermons.com, 2/20/25.)

I heard a similar story told by a man involved in Chuck Colson’s Prison Ministry.  He said a young fellow had killed this woman’s son, and was tried and sent to prison for the murder.  Some months later, she felt compelled—perhaps she had read this very Gospel account—to write to him and tell him she forgave him.  That’s extraordinary, isn’t it?  She send him 5 letters, and he returned each one to her unopened.  Finally, he responded to her following her 6th attempt to reach him. He was amazed that she would be willing to forgive him for his crime and wanted to know what compelled her to do so.  She wrote back, telling him about Jesus Christ.  They corresponded for a time and she led him to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior.  They then decided to lead a Bible study in the prison, together, helping others come to a place of confession and forgiveness.  By several years after this, they had become such good friends that the woman asked to adopt the man who had killed her son.  He agreed.  This is the kind of extraordinary forgiveness that can only be accomplished by those who love Jesus and are inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Demonstrating forgiveness is difficult for any of us.  It’s easy enough to talk about, but very hard to practice.  I have said here before that it often feels like the emotional equivalent of curling your toe-nails backward.  We hope there is an easier way. I remember a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon from some years back in which the 6YO Calvin was telling his stuffed Tiger—who came to life when the two of them were alone—how bad he felt for calling a little girl names and hurting her feelings.  Hobbes was a very wise tiger and so he suggested that Calvin apologize to her.  Calvin thought about it for a moment then said, “I keep hoping there is a less obvious solution.”  Like Calvin, we just don’t want to experience the emotional pain of subduing our pride and admitting our fault.  In other words, we hate to humble ourselves, because forgiveness strikes at our pride.

Two of our passages today deal directly with the difficulty of forgiving another, or even ourselves. 

A. Jesus gives us His take on forgiveness in our Gospel lesson, Luke 6:22-38, , a continuation of His Sermon on the Plain.  Our Lord directs us to (v.27, NLT)—…love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.  Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.  This is really a difficult command, isn’t it?  At the least, would just like to avoid them forever.  But at our worst, we want to avenge ourselves.  The typical human response is to want revenge.  The young man in Dr. Ironside’s story had to forgive the cannibal who killed and ate his father–YIKES!  Forgiveness like this is truly beyond our human abilities.  It requires the supernatural assistance of the Holy Spirit.

Additionally, in verse 29, Jesus commands us to famously “turn the other cheek.”  J. Vernon McGee tells the story of an Irish prize fighter who was converted and became an itinerent pastor. 

“He happened to be in a new town setting up his evangelistic tent when a couple of tough thugs noticed what he was doing. Knowing nothing of his background, they made a few insulting remarks. The Irishman merely turned and looked at them. Pressing his luck, one of the bullies took a swing and struck a glancing blow on one side of the ex-boxer’s face. The former boxer shook it off and said nothing as he stuck out his jaw. The bully took another glancing blow on the other side. At that point the preacher swiftly took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and announced, “The Lord gave me no further instructions,” Whop!” 

(As related by J. Vernon McGee in Charles Swindoll’s Tale of a Tardy Oxcart, 1998, p 214.)

Jesus later, in Matthew 18:22, tells Peter the trouble with forgiveness is that we are to forgive the same person not 7 times but 70 X 7—or an unlimited # of times.  He sums it up in today’s passage by charging us to (v.31)—Do to others as you would like them to do to you.  We are not to seek revenge or repay evil with evil.  Instead, we are called to treat everyone– even enemies– with love and mercy. 

Furthermore, He exhorts us just beyond this passage (vv.37-38)—Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For, with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

In A Forgiving God in an Unforgiving World, “Ron Lee Davis retells the true story of a priest in the Philippines, a much- loved man of God who carried the burden of a secret sin he had committed many years before. He had repented but still had no peace, no sense of God’s forgiveness.

In his parish was a woman who deeply loved God and who claimed to have visions in which she spoke with Christ and He with her. The priest, however, was skeptical. To test her he said, “The next time you speak with Christ, I want you to ask him what sin your priest committed while he was in seminary.” The woman agreed. A few days later the priest asked, “Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?”
“Yes, he did,” she replied.
“And did you ask him what sin I committed in seminary?”
“Yes.”
“Well, what did he say?”
“He said, ‘I don’t remember'”

We all need to remember that whatever God forgives, He chooses to forget.  The God who knows everything—He is omniscient—choses to forget our sins when we confess them and ask for His forgiveness.  The poor priest was hanging onto to guilt that God had excused years ago. 

According to Jesus, we are blessed in the measure to which we bless others.  The trouble with un-forgiveness—even of ourselves–is that it blocks our ability to receive the blessings our Lord wants to give us, including healing.  Additionally, when we forgive others, and even ourselves, we experience a deep release of tension we might not even know we were holding in. 

B.  Jesus’ admonitions to forgive, not judge, and not condemn are so beautifully lived out by Old Testament Joseph (Genesis 45:3-15).  Recall that Joseph’s 10 brothers by other mothers had sold him into slavery (at age 17).  They fully expected him to die in Egypt. They then compounded their sin by lying to their father about Joseph’s supposed death, causing Jacob inordinate grief.   Joseph, after 14-15 years of slavery, correctly interprets Pharaoh’s dreams–Remember, 7 years of plentiful crops, followed by 7 years of devastating, region-wide famine. Two years into the famine, his 10 treacherous brothers arrive in Egypt to purchase food.

Unbeknownst to them, their lost brother Joseph has survived—by the design and grace of God—and is now second in command of all of Egypt  They fail to recognize him because he is clean shaven rather than bearded; dressed in Egyptian clothing, wig, and jewelry; 39 years old, 22 years older than when they last saw him; and speaking the Egyptian language while talking to them through an interpreter.

Now, with his brothers gathered around him in all his splendor as Prime Minister of Egypt, he sees/discerns/and reveals God’s purposes in the brothers’ crime against him.  At first, they can’t believe it is their brother.  Then they fear his retribution.  But in a truly Christ-like way, he reassures them, [The Message] (v.5+)—I am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt.  But don’t feel badly, don’t blame yourselves for selling me.  God was behind it.  God sent me here ahead of you to save lives.  There has been a famine in the land now for two years; the famine will continue for five more years—neither plowing nor harvesting.  God sent me on ahead to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance.  So you see, it wasn’t you who sent me here but God.  He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh, put me in charge of his personal affairs, and made me ruler of all Egypt.  God uses Joseph to save his Father, his brothers, and his extended family (90 folks), as well  untold numbers of Egyptians and other gentiles in the region. 

Forgiveness, though difficult, is imperative.  Christ requires it of us.  Jesus modeled it for us, forgiving His murders from the Cross.  And He tells us in several places in Scripture that He forgives us to the degree we forgive others.  If we want God to forgive us, we need to be willing to forgive others.  Both OT Joseph and Jesus saw the blessings that flow to us from our forgiveness of others.

Finally, think about this story from the life of Martin Luther (1483-1546):

“In a dream, Martin Luther found himself being attacked by Satan. The devil unrolled a long scroll containing a list of Luther’s sins, and held it before him. On reaching the end of the scroll Luther asked the devil, “Is that all?” “No,” came the reply, and a second scroll was thrust in front of him. Then, after a second came a third. But now the devil had no more. “You’ve forgotten something,” Luther exclaimed triumphantly. “Quickly write on each of them, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s son, cleanses us from all sins.'”

(Kurt Koch, Occult Bondage and Deliverance, Knegel Publishing, 1972, p. 10.)

Without a doubt, the main blessing is that God forgives us.  He covers our sins with the blood of Jesus Christ and he remembers them no more!  I attended a healing conference at the church of a friend of mine Friday night and Saturday morning.  The speaker said that not all illnesses are caused by forgiveness, but a great many are.  We tend not to think there could be spiritual roots to some diseases, but I have experienced for myself, as well as seen others healed when they made a list of all those they have not yet forgiven and pray forgiveness for them.  It’s a great practice!  Make a list of those you know you resent and need to forgive.  Then forgive them and watch and see what God does.

Thanks be to God Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams