378. Our Forgiving God (Attributes of God)

Transcript

What God’s Forgiveness Means

Confession And Cleansing In Christ

Why We Forgive Others

Reach Out And Share Encouragement

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Welcome to Moments of Worship. I'm Keith McMahon, worship pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Yorktown, Virginia. This podcast seeks to encourage you in the worship of God each weekday. C.S. Lewis, authored and theologian, states this to be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. Today we're going to think for a moment about our forgiving God. And as we think about this definition defined theologically, God's forgiveness refers to the act of God pardoning human sin, removing the guilt associated with sin, and restoring a relationship with the sinner. Well every person on the planet is a sinner, both those who are born again in Christ and those who do not know the Lord. We have coveted, gossiped, maybe used the Lord's name in vain, murdered in our hearts, spoken uncharitably about someone, loved our own glory more than God's. Do not fear to approach him because of your sinfulness. Think about all the sin that you have committed in your life, and now hear this from Psalm one o three. This is amazing. Psalm one o three verses ten through twelve. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities, for as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. God grants love through his Son Jesus when we deserve his wrath and just punishment. First John 1 9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Well, knowing the grace that God has given us, let us be quick to grant grace and forgiveness to those in our lives who has harmed us. I remember one year I was talking with a fellow pastor and mentioning that I'd been giving this certain person grace upon grace upon grace, and this other pastor said to me, Well, Jesus has given you much grace. Well, that cut to the quick really fast, and I felt convicted and and walked out of the door thinking about how much grace God has given me. Colossians three thirteen bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against one another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. The late beloved pastor Tim Keller states this about God's forgiveness. God's forgiveness does not come in response to repentance. It is the result of what Jesus has already done for us. When we turn to him, we are met with the embrace of a Father who has already forgiven us. Praise be to God that He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities, for as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him. As far as the East is from the West, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. Thank you for joining me today on this Monday for moments of worship. I would love to hear from you. Send me a text. I'm getting more and more uh messages from people that is such a blessing to hear God's working in your life. Share this podcast with somebody that you know could use a word of encouragement, or maybe a new Christian that is uh seeking to understand who is the biblical God of the Bible. Send this podcast to them that they can listen daily and grow in their understanding of who our glorious God is. Well, join us next time on Moments of Worship. Until then, may we worship our forgiving God. Thanks for listening.