The Forgiveness Of God

A few years ago I got a phone call from a friend of mine named Danny, he was a fellow I worked with for years. I hadn’t talked to him in quite a while but he had a couple of questions for me. Are you still a preacher? Will you preach a funeral for me on Wednesday?

Listen, I truly believe God has called me to do what I do so I kind of feel an obligation to preach funerals when someone asks. And so I said “sure.”

Jerry was the name of the man who had died. He didn’t have a wife. He was estranged from his only living brother and had very little to do with anyone. My buddy Danny and his wife were his neighbors. And for 10 years Danny and mainly his wife had taken care of him. Taken him to the doctor and hospital. Made sure he had something to eat. Kept his house clean. And when the doctors had said there was “NO HOPE”, Danny’s wife had brought him home to their house and took care of him until he died. She is a very kind and loving person.

I got to the cemetery for the Graveside service. The casket was open so I walked up and looked at Jerry. I had never met him or seen him before. I looked at his empty SHELL. There was no OBITUARY. There was NO EULOGY from someone who knew him. Just a few people there. But there was Danny and his wife. They had made all of the arrangements. They were still taking care of Jerry.

But this is where I’m going with this. Danny’s wife came up to me with tears in her eyes and this is what she asked me, “Can you please give Jerry forgiveness?” And it kind of caught me off guard. She turned and walked away and I told Danny, “I can’t do that. Only God can do that.” She was still trying to take care of him.

I don’t know if she really thought I could give FORGIVENESS like the Roman Catholics do or if she was asking me to PREACH Jerry into Heaven. But either way, as much as I would have liked to, I couldn’t do it.

And so I preached a message out of John 11. Lazarus had died and it seemed that all hope was gone until Jesus showed up on the scene. Jesus gives HOPE. HOPE here in this life and HOPE when it comes to ETERNITY.

But what she said really bothered me. I KNOW that Jesus HAD DEALT with Jerry’s heart. John 12:32 tells us that He will draw all men to Him. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit had DRAWN HIM, WOOED HIM. But I DON’T KNOW what decision Jerry made. Did he accept the FORGIVENESS of GOD? I hope so but I DON’T KNOW where Jerry is tonight and where he will be for all eternity.

And so this evening I want to take a look at three things, three attributes when it comes to GOD’S FORGIVENESS. But before we do let’s go to the Lord in Prayer.

Brother _____, would you lead us?

I. And so, first of all, God’s forgiveness will cause us to do things we normally wouldn’t do. Acts 2:38

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Now this Verse has been TWISTED by different denominations to make it say something they want it to say. They try to say that the FORGIVENESS of SINS comes from being BAPTIZED. THE PHYSICAL ACT of going down into the water and being submerged actually washes away our SINS.

Here’s what I want you to see. The word “FOR” has two different meanings in our English language. TO GET and BECAUSE OF. Some of these folks try to say you are BAPTIZED TO GET the REMISSION or FORGIVENESS of sins. Kind of like, “I will PAY YOU $500 “for” your truck.” I will pay you $500 to get your TRUCK. But, I believe, in this passage, the word “FOR” means BECAUSE OF. I’m going to take an ASPIRIN “for” my headache. I’m certainly NOT going to take an ASPIRIN TO GET a HEADACHE. I’m gonna take one BECAUSE OF my headache. I’m going to BE BAPTIZED BECAUSE OF the FACT that GOD has forgiven me of my SINS.

Now the Greek word used here for the word “FOR” is “EIC” and it often implies movement into a space or a change of condition. I think this Verse tells us that we should be baptized because of the change of condition in our lives. Salvation has come.