In 2010 the Australian Customs reported that they had seized over 1.1 million items that were counterfeit items…..
Some of the items included….watches with the Rolex name on them…but were definitely not Rolex, handbags claiming to be Luis Vuitton but fell apart soon after a purse was put in them. What is even more worrying is there were counterfeit medicines and drugs and on closer analysis these drugs were inferior to the products they were impersonating. Imagine thinking you're had a bargain only to discover that it wasn’t?
Unfortunately there are many different understandings about what it means to be a Christian, some of these are partially correct, some of these are counterfeit ideas about what it means to be a Christian and some of the ideas are based more on personal opinion than what the bible and what Jesus says. This is why today’s Gospel reading is important. It highlights one of the important characteristics or fruits that should come through our lives as we live as Christians, that we be people of love and forgiveness.
Listen to what Jesus says about forgiveness from Matthew 5:43 to 45 and verse 48
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven….. 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
As a human being these are strong words
Love your enemies
Pray for those who persecute you
Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect
That you maybe children of your Father in heaven
For me and most Christians I meet these words of Jesus are not just confronting but put a huge challenge before us…..
Take a moment to think about those people who have hurt you in your life!!!!
How many of them have you genuinely loved and forgiven??
Do you still have hurts and bitterness that you are holding onto??
How many people do you no longer have any relationship with or a very limited relationship with??
Are there people you struggle to have a relationship with simply because they remind you of someone who hurt you ??
Jesus says: “ Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”
For most of her life Christina has been coming to church….
She regularly hears God’s word….
She regularly hears words of forgiveness
She regularly says the words of the Apostles Creed including those words I believe in the forgiveness of sins
She regularly says the words from the Lord’s Prayer and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Then one day for some reason the words of the reading we heard from Matthew 5:38 to 48 had a great affect on her…..
Now Christina took seriously what was in the bible….but for some reason this reading seemed to speak to her more clearly
and so the words of Jesus
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you….were like a huge wake up call!!!
Now most people wouldn’t think that Christina had enemies
She was a gentle soul
But she knew that in reality there were some people she treated as enemies
She held grudges against some people
There were some people she didn’t like being around because of what they had said or done in the past, some many years ago.
And there were some people she always thought had hidden agendas whilst others she treated as if they could do no wrong.
She would make life difficult for some but not for others
on the surface she could justify these actions….she had been hurt….and some people just couldn’t be trusted!!
but when she heard the words of Jesus….
she imagined Jesus gently speaking to her saying please love your enemies….
please pray for them…..
because I really want you to be my child….reflecting who I am and what I do….
please help others see I am loving and forgiving!!!
Christina then realised something
To be able to live this way…..to be God’s child
She needed the Holy Spirits help
She needed to be constantly reminded and remember
what God has done for her….
what God is doing for her
and what God will do for her
Christina realised that God’s love and forgiveness for her affects not only her future, but also how she lives today and therefore has the potential to greatly affect other people!!!
Then almost automatically texts like Romans chapter 5 verse 8 popped into her mind….
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
The reality is God’s love is a very special, unique type of love
If it was classed as alcoholic drink it would be called top shelf love
if it was a seat at the theatre it would be called Golden Platinum love
If it was a gemstone…..it would a very rare form of love
God’s love as Romans chapter 5 verse 8 indicates…
is love that is offered
is love that is given
is love that is available
even though nothing has been done to deserve it
Not only have we done nothing to deserve God’s love,
we have also done things and lived in ways where God could easily say you don’t deserve my love, so I am withholding it from you…..
but He doesn’t.
Instead He says trust in the actions, life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus
…and you have access to my love!!!
For Christina the day she listened closely to the words of Matthew 5:38 5o 48 was a life changing day…..
The message of God’s love had been constantly shared with her….
She knew in her head that God forgives her
But on this day…
she recalled many of those times where she had let down God and others
sometimes through habit,
sometimes because it was the easier and more comfortable thing to do
and sometimes very deliberately…
then she realised that even though she has flaws and acts like an enemy of God…
even though she sins
God hasn’t rejected her….
God loves her!!!!
A tear trickled from her eye….a tear of joy
A parable from Jesus, from Matthew 18:21-35 came to mind
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[a]
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[b] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
For Christina it was very clear….
the love and forgiveness that God is constantly showing her
is not just for her
but has the potential to change the lives of other people she knows, has known and will know.
From that day on Christina aimed to love and forgive like God
She thought I am just like God’s apprentice….
I will never be as perfect as God
but I will continue aiming to allow others to see His love and forgiveness through me
She began by writing down a list of events and people that came to mind who she needed to forgive and who she needed to approach for forgiveness.
As she looked at the list, when she came to some of the names, her stomach still churned….anger seemed to take over this new resolve….
and what helped her deal with these situations was her remembering what God had done for her, how God had loved and forgiven her.
She prayed about every event and person.
To some she wrote letters, to some she met in person and for others she is still praying about and thinking about how she will forgive them and go about asking their forgiveness…
Everyday she aims to allow God’s love to influence how she thinks, speaks about and treats others….
Now Christina says, on most days she still messes up, but God’s love has a strange way of affecting who I am and what I do, because I am taking seriously that call from Jesus not just to be loved by Him but also to be His Father’s loving child.
So what about you?
Are you aware in your head and heart how much God loves and forgives you?
Take some time this week allow God’s love and forgiveness to affect how you think about others, how you relate to others and how you treat others….
so they can experience God’s genuine love and forgiveness through you
and gain the real benefit of God’s love and forgiveness…eternal life.
Jesus says: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”
and to do this remember how much God has loved and forgiven you
Amen
