FORGIVENESS—THE BOND OF FELLOWSHIP

Matt 6:14-15

14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins

Someone said that the word forgive is the most beautiful word in any language. I think we could agree, for included in the word are the concepts of faith, hope, and love. By forgiveness, the tragedy of sin is cancelled, guilt is removed and broken fellowship is restored. Forgiveness is faith in action, hope in restoration and love in reconciliation.

No one has escaped the snare of sin. Only by the act of Divine forgiveness can we be cleansed and restored to a state of innocence. While we were still sinners, Christ died on the cross for our sins and opened the door of forgiveness and reconciliation to God. His love still draws sinners to an altar of repentance so that He may pardon them.

Without forgiveness we would all be trapped in our own sins:
(Rom 7:24 NIV) What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

The theme of redemption is woven with the thread of forgiveness, and it is through God’s act of forgiving that our fellowship with Him is restored and our torn relationship with fellow believers is mended. We were not born with a forgiving nature, but we do have an innate divine capacity to forgive and receive forgiveness. The poet wrote: “to err is human; to forgive is divine…”

Forgiveness defined: “To give up the wish to punish or get even with; not having hard feelings at or toward others…it means to pardon another, to release him from the punishment he should receive for his wrongdoing…it means to cancel the debt that a person owes.”

FORGIVENESS RESTORES FELLOWSHIP

Fellowship with God

Fellowship with others

Part Two: The University at Calvary

If you choose Calvary, understand that it is one of choice!

Hear what Jesus had to say:

Matt 16:24-26
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

And again, He said it was one of choice;

John 7:37-39
37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Matt 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

What does it cost to go to Calvary?

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Give up the world
Deny yourself
Take up your cross
Follow Jesus in everything
Allow Him to be Lord of your life.

What courses would we study at the University of Calvary?

I MUST LEARN TO SURRENDER MY WILL

Heb 5:7-9
7 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered . 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him

Our Example is at Gethsemane

Matt 26:36-39
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Jesus went a little further. That is the University Experience. It requires dedication—the surrender of your will. When I think I have mastered this course, my flesh rises up and I have to look back to "the Crucified One"...I must go back to Calvary and surrender my will!

AT CALVARY, I LEARN THAT OTHERS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN I

Luke 23:27-28
27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.

Selfishness cannot live at Calvary

Self Pity Must die.

When Peter told Jesus "Pity thyself Lord." Jesus said, "Get behind me Satan..." “Feel sorry for yourself” --Calvary teaches me what it means to give all for someone else—how to give myself for others—The example at Calvary will teach this lesson like no other place.

I WILL LEARN TO LOVE, EVEN WHEN I AM HATED

1 Cor 13:1-8
13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35).

This is the true Test of Spirituality. When He grades us, he tests us by this word...What greater example of love than the Love God gave to us at Calvary. It is the 'agape` love—the love that gives all. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believed in him would not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

When I think I have passed the course, I fail, and must get a fresh vision of Calvary.

I WILL LEARN FORGIVENESS EVEN WHEN THERE IS NO REPENTANCE

How many times do I forgive?

Matt 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Luke 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

The true meaning of forgiveness.

Someone said that the word forgive is the most beautiful word in any language. I think we could agree, for included in the word are the concepts of faith, hope, and love. By forgiveness, the tragedy of sin is cancelled, guilt is removed and broken fellowship is restored. Forgiveness is faith in action, hope in restoration and love in reconciliation.

No one has escaped the snare of sin. Only by the act of Divine forgiveness can we be cleansed and restored to a state of innocence. While we were still sinners, Christ died on the cross for our sins and opened the door of forgiveness and reconciliation to God. His love still draws sinners to an altar of repentance so that He may pardon them. Without forgiveness we would all be trapped in our sins:It literally means that I, being wronged, assume the obligation of someone else's wrong, expecting no payment in return, accepting the premise as if I were the guilty one. And that my friend is exactly what Jesus did for us at Calvary—He took our place!

Forgiveness defined: “To give up the wish to punish or get even with; Not having hard feelings at or toward others…It means to pardon another, To release him from the punishment he should receive for his wrongdoing…It means to cancel the debt that a person owes.”
There is a terrible price to pay when we harbor unforgiveness in our heart. We pay the price in physical and emotional trauma. It doesn’t cause the one who committed the wrong any pain.

God is the source of forgiveness—Calvary is the price of forgiveness..

Look at this place called Calvary—Golgotha! A place of suffering and humiliation—where they spit on Him, slapped Him, beat Him. This reveals to us the awfulness of sin and its tragic consequences—what it cost to obtain forgiveness.

I MUST LEARN TO DIE, EVEN THOUGH I AM INNOCENT

John 12:24-25
24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

But if it dies—it produces many seeds The lesson taught here is that by giving our life, we will save it.

Gal 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I invite you to consider Calvary again today. Capture the spirit of that place of suffering. It is the greatest example of love ever shown to man.

If you go to this University at Calvary:

You will go because—

1. You choose to go

2. Understand that it will cost you something—there is a price to pay—not in dollars and cents, but in giving up your claim to yourself and allowing Him to become Lord of your life.

3. It is at Calvary that I learn to be what God wants me to be. It is where I learn the lessons of Christian living—love, forgiveness, compassion, denial of self, and many other lessons.

THE UNIVERSITY AT CALVARY

Luke 23:33-35 (NKJV)
33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.
35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”

Hebrews 5:8-9 (NKJV)
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

Our entire life is a learning process. As a newborn baby comes into this world, he immediately begins to learn. All that is going on around him, the parents and other siblings are learning experiences. As long as the child lives, he never ceases to learn. There is pre-school, kindergarten, and grade school. We all recognize the obvious—every child needs the experience of schooling—whether public, private or home schooling.

This is the time of year when we honor our graduates—those who are graduating from High School and those who are graduating from University. It is decision day— "What am I going to do with my life?"

When we become a Christian, we are “born again”. The Bible calls the newborn Christian a "babe in Christ.” As in the natural birth, so in the spiritual birth—there should be continual growth and progress.

In our early walk with Christ, we learn from the sincere 'milk of the word" as we grow in Christ, we are expected to leave elementary education and move into higher education. Listen to how the Book of Hebrews states it:

Heb 6:1-3

6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
3 And God permitting, we will do so.

I call this, the University Experience!

The University is different than grade school. I will point out a few obvious differences.

1. There is a cost involved

a. You have to pay tuition.

b. Many parents provide for this by saving when their children are young and when the time comes, there are funds available for this purpose.

2. No one forces you to go—it becomes one of choice. —If you want a degree.

a. There are elective courses

b. And there are required courses

3. It is considered Higher Education.

4. The subjects taught are found nowhere else.

I want to introduce every Christian to the University at Calvary!

Tomorrow—Part Two: Calvary—A Choice

"Southern Gospel"

I have spent the last few days nursing a late winter-early spring cold. I often tell people who are experiencing sudden illness that the Psalmist wrote, "He maketh me to lie down". There's only one way you can look when lying down and that is up! Sometimes God can use these moments in our lives to cause us to stop and reflect on Him. So the last few days of rest have given me those moments. I finally gave in and asked a good friend to teach my Bible Class on Sunday. After church, we were able to celebrate Mother's Day at home--I grilled steaks and it was an enjoyable meal and afternoon while my wife and I played games and enjoyed the blessings of a quiet Sunday afternoon.
About a year and one-half ago, we purchased a Chevy HHR which my wife mostly drives. It has an XM Satellite radio. Recently I discovered channel 34 which is all Southern Gospel 24/7. So Sunday afternoon, Mother's day we drove to Dairy Queen, purchased hot-fudge sundaes and drove around listening to "Southern Gospel". It is the music I grew up with and still enjoy.