Sermon: Grace Happens Lk 23:32-34, 39-43 11/25/01
Johnny and his brother had been playing nicely all morning when a terrible fight ensued. Soon the two brothers were wrestling and fighting with each other. Their mother separated them and told them to apologize. Johnny refused vowing to never speak to his brother again. The day passed into evening without Johnny uttering a word to his brother. His mother seeking to cajole the child into apologizing and forgiving his brother the wrong. Told Johnny about the Bible and that it God we should never let the sun go down on our wrath. Johnny grew quite and pensive abruptly turning to his mother and asking. "How can I stop the sun from going down?"
Well Johnny you can’t stop the sun when it comes to forgiveness?
LET US PRAY….
Turn with me if you will to today’s scripture Luke 23:32-34, 39-43
(READ THE SCRIPTURE)
It is no accident that Jesus was crucified between two criminals. From eternity past, God had planned the time, the place, the method and the circumstances of the Messiah’s death. All that he had decided came to pass exactly as he ordained.
God revealed through Isaiah that a virgin would give birth to a son who would be the messiah (Is 7:14), that the Messiah was to be "numbered with the transgressors" )Is 53:12) that he would be assigned a grave with the wicked Is 53:9. That they would cast lots for his clothing Ps 22:18, that not one of his bones would be broken (Ps 34:20). Herod and Pontius Pilate, unknowingly, did what God’s power and will had decided beforehand should happen (Acts 4:28).
They were hung together to increase the humiliation and shame of Jesus. The middle was for the worst offenders. Jesus had caused more turmoil then either of the criminals. To the Jews he was blasphemous, to the Romans he was the kings’s competition. But placing him in the middle was also by a decree from God for Jesus is a constant divider of humanity between those who accept and those who refuse God’s grace!
But don’t misunderstand me , we don’t have the ability to stop the son whether we choose to accept it or not God’s Grace Happens.
"Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." It’s funny but Greek can be a very explicit language - there are five words to describe love, thirty or forty or more endings to words to make them more precise more definite and yet here them is undefined. We don’t know who them was.
Father forgive them - was he talking about the criminals, the jews or the romans? For a God who is so precise so detailed oriented that he foretold of the Messiah coming in that he can tell you the number of hairs on your head - why did he leave the word "them" so vague.
We know the answer, them is the countless number of people down through the ages, them is you and I our neighbors, lovers, enemies, friends. Them is all of us, all of humanity. "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."
More than 2000 years before you and I were a glean in our parents eyes, we were given God’s grace. It is the foundation of our denomination - prevenient grace. Grace that happens before we are born. Grace that happens without us doing anything that merits it.
A few weeks ago in Sunday school we were talking about what makes the Christian faith unique, different. And we really struggled with it. We debated it. The best we could come up with was the Resurrection. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it just didn’t feel right. And I didn’t understand my discomfort and uneasiness with our answer until this week. I was reading the book "What’s so amazing About Grace?" by Philip Yancey. (READ EXCERT)
God sent his son to be born in a manager and die on a cross that we might know Grace Happens! "Father forgive them"
READ VERSES 39-42
The second criminal didn’t do anything. He didn’t change his ways. He didn’t repent. He didn’t even ask for forgiveness. He recognized Christ as God. VS 43
Grace that happens because we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, as God. And in his grace we are called out to be like him. To let the forgiveness of grace to happen in our lives.
At a dinner party one night lady Churchill was seated across the table from Sir Winston Churchill, who kept making his hand walk back and forth across the table ---two fingers bent at the knuckles. The fingers appeared to be walking toward Lady Churchill. Finally, her dinner partner asked, "Why is Sir Winston looking at you so wistfully, and whatever is he doing with those knuckles on the table?"
That’s simple she replied "We had a mild quarrel before we left home and he is indicating its his fault and he’s on his knees to me in abject apology."
Why is it when we are wronged, when someone has done something to offend or hurt us why do we them people to come to us on their knees begging for forgiveness. Why must they bring candy and flowers and make themselves subservient before us in order to receive our forgiveness.
Why is our standard of Forgiveness so much higher than God’s standard. God didn’t require anything of the criminal on the cross - he gave him forgiveness with no strings attached.
We are never more like God than when we forgive in the same matter - without expectations, without change, without strings attached. Forgivness isn’t easy. I have heard countless stories of terrible atrocities, mental and emotional hurts that are so deep, abuses and rejections.
How can we forgive these terrible things? We can’t but the Holy Spirit in us can!!
When we allow the grace of God to penetrate all the corners of our emotions, our minds, our perceptions God’s grace can bathe us in the peace of His love - love that can allow us to forgive and forget.
God’s grace has happened that it might heal us of our past hurts and abuses. Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. It changes our hurts into empathy for others who are suffering similar fates 2 Cor 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
Forgiveness does not negate what was done. It doesn’t release the victim or the perpetrator from the consequences. But Forgivness trusts in God’s abundant grace. It says that we trusts that God is a God of justice. That God cares about our hurts and will take care of us. It trusts that Grace happens. And we pray "Father forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, Father forgiv3e us our sins as we have forgive those who have sinned against us.
But father how many times must we forgive. 70 X 70. Forgive man so your father can forgive you.
Grace happens but like the criminals on the cross you must choose to accept it. Are you hurling insults at God - are you refusing to forgive? Are you mocking him with your words "Father forgive our trespaasses as we forgive…" Are will you join him today in paradise where Grace Happens!!
Perhaps this morning you need to know God’s grace - His grace that forgives us no matter what you have thought or done, perhaps this morning you need to ask the Holy Spirit to allow God’s grace to change you so that you can forgive those have trespassed against you. Or perhaps this morning you want to come forward to publicly acknowledge that God’s Grace in you began long before you ever knew it and Now you want to commit to it by either baptism or membership in this church.
Grace is happening right now - won’t you come the altar is open, I am here willing to pray with you or receive on behalf of God’s witness in this church - as Joel and Ned leading our closing hymn won’t you come!!!!
