Cultivating Forgiveness

Ephesians 4:30-32
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In today’s sermon, Pastor Colin Smith addresses the topic of forgiveness. He explains that forgiveness, though challenging, is one of the greatest gifts we can give. The sermon continues from last week’s focus on the beatitude, “Blessed are the merciful,” by exploring how one can cultivate a merciful and forgiving heart.

Pastor Colin differentiates between mercy and forgiveness. He illustrates that mercy is a broader concept, encompassing acts of kindness and compassion, while forgiveness involves a deeper personal reconciliation. Forgiveness arises out of mercy and is a step further in the journey of grace.

He emphasises that forgiving does not mean approving someone’s wrong actions but rather following the path laid out by Jesus Christ. Forgiveness, in the Christian sense, leads to restored relationships and is made possible by following a sequence of spiritual practices: Recognising the Holy Spirit within us, refusing to dwell on injuries, avoiding quarrels, having compassion, remembering personal need for forgiveness, and savouring God’s forgiveness in Christ.

Pastor Colin concludes by encouraging believers to take strides on the path of mercy, leading to true forgiveness. He stresses the importance of faith and repentance in receiving forgiveness from God and exemplifying it towards others. The sermon ends with a call to draw near to Jesus Christ, who is ever ready to forgive, imparting this priceless gift to those who seek Him.

1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,400 Shabbat! 2 00:00:03,400 –> 00:00:06,940 You are listening to a service from Pastor Colin Smith of Open The Bible. 3 00:00:06,940 –> 00:00:16,400 To contact us call us at 1-877-Open 365 or visit our website openthebible.org. 4 00:00:16,400 –> 00:00:20,799 Let’s get to the message. Here is Pastor Colin. 5 00:00:20,799 –> 00:00:25,100 When we are looking today then at the subject of forgiveness. 6 00:00:25,980 –> 00:00:33,459 A person who may have hurt you deeply, may be the biggest challenge you will ever face in life. 7 00:00:33,459 –> 00:00:39,980 And it may well be the greatest gift that you ever give in all of your life. 8 00:00:39,980 –> 00:00:43,160 We’re here, because we began last week looking at the fifth deactivate attitude. 9 00:00:43,160 –> 00:00:49,119 Blessed are those who are merciful Jesus said, because they shall receive mercy. 10 00:00:49,540 –> 00:00:54,540 And last week we spent our time looking at what that means, and today our purpose is 11 00:00:54,540 –> 00:00:57,299 to see how we can pursue it. 12 00:00:57,299 –> 00:00:59,799 How can I become more merciful? 13 00:00:59,799 –> 00:01:02,900 How can I become a more forgiving person? 14 00:01:02,900 –> 00:01:06,760 How can I cultivate this good fruit in my life? 15 00:01:06,760 –> 00:01:12,080 I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who doesn’t ultimately want to be able to forgive. 16 00:01:12,080 –> 00:01:17,019 Though I think all of us know something of the struggle, and some of us a great deal 17 00:01:17,160 –> 00:01:21,000 of the struggle of how you actually get there. 18 00:01:21,000 –> 00:01:26,279 Now you’ll notice that I’m using the word forgiveness today, and it is important to 19 00:01:26,279 –> 00:01:31,239 understand the relationship between forgiveness and mercy. 20 00:01:31,239 –> 00:01:36,160 So let me just take a moment on that and describe the distinction this way. 21 00:01:36,160 –> 00:01:43,339 That mercy is broader than forgiveness, but forgiveness goes further than mercy. 22 00:01:43,339 –> 00:01:44,919 So think about it this way. 23 00:01:44,959 –> 00:01:47,180 Mercy is broader than forgiveness. 24 00:01:47,180 –> 00:01:48,959 Not all mercy is forgiveness. 25 00:01:48,959 –> 00:01:53,820 For example, the Good Samaritan had no need to forgive the man who was lying wounded on 26 00:01:53,820 –> 00:01:54,820 the road. 27 00:01:54,820 –> 00:01:59,239 The man who was wounded had done nothing wrong against the Good Samaritan, and yet 28 00:01:59,239 –> 00:02:02,720 the Good Samaritan showed him mercy. 29 00:02:02,720 –> 00:02:10,399 So mercy is broader than forgiveness, but at the same time forgiveness goes further 30 00:02:10,399 –> 00:02:12,300 than mercy. 31 00:02:12,520 –> 00:02:17,479 Suppose someone hurts you, harms you, wrongs you. 32 00:02:17,479 –> 00:02:21,160 To be merciful simply means that you will have compassion on them. 33 00:02:21,160 –> 00:02:23,979 You’ll have a tender heart towards them. 34 00:02:23,979 –> 00:02:28,360 You will make sure that you do not return harm to them, but rather you will seek to 35 00:02:28,360 –> 00:02:29,360 do them good. 36 00:02:29,360 –> 00:02:34,880 You will fulfill what Paul says in Romans, don’t repay evil for evil, but seek to overcome 37 00:02:34,880 –> 00:02:35,880 evil with good. 38 00:02:35,880 –> 00:02:39,419 All of that is an expression of mercy. 39 00:02:39,440 –> 00:02:43,279 And that’s a wonderful thing, but forgiveness goes further. 40 00:02:43,279 –> 00:02:48,600 In other words, what I want to see today is forgiveness is what arises out of mercy. 41 00:02:48,600 –> 00:02:50,919 You pursue mercy and where do you arrive? 42 00:02:50,919 –> 00:02:56,139 You get to the place where you can forgive, which is precisely the issue that some of 43 00:02:56,139 –> 00:02:57,139 us are facing. 44 00:02:57,139 –> 00:02:59,300 How can I get to forgiveness? 45 00:02:59,300 –> 00:03:01,759 That’s the question that’s before us today. 46 00:03:01,759 –> 00:03:05,179 And the answer to it is you follow the path of mercy. 47 00:03:05,179 –> 00:03:10,259 And I want to see as to see where the path leads, and that is why I’ve chosen to use 48 00:03:10,259 –> 00:03:14,619 the word forgiveness today because it goes further. 49 00:03:14,619 –> 00:03:21,500 Now, this is a very practical subject that is before us today, and as I’ve prayed through 50 00:03:21,500 –> 00:03:27,979 this subject over the week it has been much in my mind and in my heart how many people 51 00:03:27,979 –> 00:03:35,639 are really struggling for very understandable reasons over this issue of forgiveness. 52 00:03:35,639 –> 00:03:40,119 And a great wrong has been done to you. 53 00:03:40,119 –> 00:03:48,740 And it is so severe that you may have thought forgiveness would be absolutely impossible. 54 00:03:48,740 –> 00:03:54,339 It seems like an un-climable mountain. 55 00:03:54,339 –> 00:04:03,220 And you may have found yourself saying, I wish that I could forgive, but I have no idea 56 00:04:03,220 –> 00:04:09,940 how in the world I could possibly get there in relation to this. 57 00:04:09,940 –> 00:04:18,059 And what I’m saying to you is follow mercy and you will get to forgiveness because mercy 58 00:04:18,179 –> 00:04:20,640 is the path that takes us there. 59 00:04:20,640 –> 00:04:25,980 This is of huge practical importance for living the Christian life, and we’re going to itemize 60 00:04:25,980 –> 00:04:32,540 the path, step by step, in our time together here today. 61 00:04:32,540 –> 00:04:38,660 Now, two things just to say before we get into exploring that path. 62 00:04:38,660 –> 00:04:39,940 The first is this. 63 00:04:39,940 –> 00:04:48,880 Always remember that forgiveness is a fruit of life in Jesus Christ who forgives. 64 00:04:48,880 –> 00:04:53,799 Just to touch on this briefly, you know that Jesus says, in Matthew chapter 5, 65 00:04:53,799 –> 00:04:58,380 “‘Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.’” 66 00:04:58,380 –> 00:05:00,239 And someone might say, well, wait a minute. 67 00:05:00,239 –> 00:05:04,279 It sounds like forgiving people is a means to an end. 68 00:05:04,619 –> 00:05:10,220 Is Jesus saying that if we forgive others that, on that condition, God will forgive us? 69 00:05:10,220 –> 00:05:11,859 No, he’s not saying that. 70 00:05:11,859 –> 00:05:15,519 It’s not that our forgiveness is a reward for something that we’ve done. 71 00:05:15,519 –> 00:05:19,459 It cannot be because God forgives freely. 72 00:05:19,459 –> 00:05:21,299 So, how are we to understand these words? 73 00:05:21,299 –> 00:05:23,679 Well, remember what we’ve been saying all the way through. 74 00:05:23,679 –> 00:05:28,079 The Beatitudes are not telling you how to become a Christian. 75 00:05:28,079 –> 00:05:32,660 The Beatitudes are telling us what a true Christian looks like. 76 00:05:32,899 –> 00:05:36,320 In other words, they’re not a map that says, you know, follow this road 77 00:05:36,320 –> 00:05:38,619 and you’ll get to a place where God forgives you. 78 00:05:38,619 –> 00:05:40,779 They’re not a map. They’re a mirror. 79 00:05:40,779 –> 00:05:44,000 And we’ve been seeing in this series, they’re given to us for this purpose 80 00:05:44,000 –> 00:05:47,059 so that we will be able to look at ourselves 81 00:05:47,059 –> 00:05:50,980 to see if, indeed, there are within us the distinguishing marks 82 00:05:50,980 –> 00:05:53,700 of those who are forgiven. 83 00:05:53,700 –> 00:05:55,679 And here’s the mark. 84 00:05:55,760 –> 00:06:02,640 Forgiven people are known by the way they forgive. 85 00:06:02,640 –> 00:06:06,380 This is a distinguishing mark of all who are in Jesus Christ, 86 00:06:06,380 –> 00:06:10,940 which is why our Lord speaks about this especially in the Lord’s prayer 87 00:06:10,940 –> 00:06:12,880 and teaches us to pray this way. 88 00:06:12,880 –> 00:06:20,760 Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. 89 00:06:21,140 –> 00:06:26,200 I want us always to remember that forgiving is the fruit of life in Jesus Christ 90 00:06:26,200 –> 00:06:31,500 who is the One who freely, and wonderfully, and mercifully forgives. 91 00:06:31,500 –> 00:06:34,299 Second thing before we get into this path. 92 00:06:34,299 –> 00:06:38,440 I want you to think with me for a moment—and this is very important— 93 00:06:38,440 –> 00:06:44,720 about how and when God forgives. 94 00:06:44,720 –> 00:06:48,519 I’ll summarise it in this sentence that we’ll take in three simple parts. 95 00:06:48,559 –> 00:06:54,059 God forgives when a wrong has been done, when repentance begins, 96 00:06:54,059 –> 00:06:58,100 because atonement has been made. 97 00:06:58,100 –> 00:07:02,019 Let me just walk you through that so that we have a clear understanding 98 00:07:02,019 –> 00:07:07,519 of God’s forgiveness, so that we’ll have a better understanding of how to pursue ours. 99 00:07:07,519 –> 00:07:11,859 God forgives where a wrong has been done. 100 00:07:11,859 –> 00:07:13,980 That’s just very basic. 101 00:07:13,980 –> 00:07:19,220 If I were to say to you after the service, kind of shake hands after the service in the foyer, 102 00:07:19,220 –> 00:07:21,019 and I say, I forgive you! 103 00:07:21,019 –> 00:07:23,100 You would say, well, what in the world for? 104 00:07:23,100 –> 00:07:25,019 I haven’t done anything wrong against you. 105 00:07:25,019 –> 00:07:27,779 And you would be quite right to say that because forgiveness 106 00:07:27,779 –> 00:07:33,500 is only appropriate, it is only meaningful when a wrong has been done. 107 00:07:33,500 –> 00:07:39,640 So, when God forgives what that means is that we have wronged him and it’s a real thing. 108 00:07:39,679 –> 00:07:45,959 Every sin in your life and in mine is a personal offense against God. 109 00:07:45,959 –> 00:07:51,260 Saul of Tarsus was on a campaign, he was troubling and hurting a lot of other people 110 00:07:51,260 –> 00:07:53,980 and you remember, the risen Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him and said, 111 00:07:53,980 –> 00:07:59,119 Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? 112 00:07:59,119 –> 00:08:03,399 Every sin that has ever been committed is a personal offense against God. 113 00:08:03,399 –> 00:08:06,640 Lewis Smeeds says this, and it’s very perceptive, he says, 114 00:08:06,679 –> 00:08:11,700 forgiveness always comes with claim attached, 115 00:08:11,700 –> 00:08:15,359 forgiveness always comes with blame attached, why? 116 00:08:15,359 –> 00:08:20,839 Because forgiveness, by definition, can only happen when a wrong has been done 117 00:08:20,839 –> 00:08:24,100 and we have wronged God. 118 00:08:24,100 –> 00:08:28,820 And thank God that He forgives. 119 00:08:28,820 –> 00:08:31,899 God forgives when a wrong has been done, and when does He do it? 120 00:08:31,899 –> 00:08:36,460 He does it when repentance begins. 121 00:08:36,460 –> 00:08:39,340 It’s a wonderful word. 122 00:08:39,340 –> 00:08:41,539 The story of The Prodigal Son, of course, makes this clear. 123 00:08:41,539 –> 00:08:46,099 Here is the son and he goes off in rebellion and eventually comes to his senses and what 124 00:08:46,099 –> 00:08:47,099 does he say? 125 00:08:47,099 –> 00:08:48,280 I will go to my father. 126 00:08:48,280 –> 00:08:49,440 The boy has a change of heart. 127 00:08:49,440 –> 00:08:50,900 He begins the long journey home. 128 00:08:50,900 –> 00:08:53,460 He is not expecting very much, at all. 129 00:08:53,460 –> 00:08:58,539 He hopes that perhaps his father will take him on as one of the hired servants at the 130 00:08:58,539 –> 00:08:59,539 farm. 131 00:08:59,539 –> 00:09:00,539 And remember what happens. 132 00:09:00,719 –> 00:09:04,580 The father sees him from a distance. 133 00:09:04,580 –> 00:09:09,539 And rather than wait, the father goes running towards him. 134 00:09:09,539 –> 00:09:10,539 Why? 135 00:09:10,539 –> 00:09:16,419 Because repentance has begun and forgiveness is released at the first turnings of repentance 136 00:09:16,419 –> 00:09:23,020 This is the heart of God and it is one of the most wonderful, wonderful gifts of the 137 00:09:23,020 –> 00:09:24,020 gospel. 138 00:09:24,020 –> 00:09:26,780 What a marvelous truth this is. 139 00:09:26,780 –> 00:09:29,580 Because friends, repenting is a process. 140 00:09:29,700 –> 00:09:36,859 That every believer begins, but no believer completes in this life. 141 00:09:36,859 –> 00:09:43,659 It don’t care how far you have advanced in your Christian life or how holy you may think 142 00:09:43,659 –> 00:09:45,020 you are. 143 00:09:45,020 –> 00:09:50,619 Our repentance towards God is at best only a small part of what it should be and what 144 00:09:50,619 –> 00:09:51,820 it could be. 145 00:09:52,580 –> 00:10:00,380 So thank God that he forgives when repentance has begun, not when it is complete, because 146 00:10:00,380 –> 00:10:03,940 if he waited until it was complete, there would be not a single person who would ever 147 00:10:03,940 –> 00:10:06,359 be forgiven in this world. 148 00:10:06,359 –> 00:10:10,780 Not you, not me, because we all have more repenting to do. 149 00:10:10,780 –> 00:10:16,539 As Luther said so clearly, when Christ says, repent, he calls a man, a woman, to a life 150 00:10:16,539 –> 00:10:26,280 of repentance, turning towards him, and seeking more fully to live for him than we have yet 151 00:10:26,280 –> 00:10:29,500 done. 152 00:10:29,500 –> 00:10:34,400 But friends, remember this as we rejoice in this wonderful truth, that God forgives when 153 00:10:34,400 –> 00:10:37,380 repentance begins. 154 00:10:37,380 –> 00:10:41,900 He forgives when repentance begins. 155 00:10:41,919 –> 00:10:48,000 There is, in the Scripture, no forgiveness from God without repentance. 156 00:10:48,000 –> 00:10:52,340 The people who rejected Jesus, he said to them on one occasion, I’m quoting from John 157 00:10:52,340 –> 00:10:58,900 8, this is to people who rejected him, he said, I’m going away, and you will seek me 158 00:10:58,900 –> 00:11:03,940 and you will not find me, and you will die in your sins. 159 00:11:03,940 –> 00:11:06,940 You will die in your sins, why? 160 00:11:06,940 –> 00:11:10,940 Because you’ve rejected the Son of God. 161 00:11:10,979 –> 00:11:17,200 So the Bible never suggests what some people today want sentimentally to say, that somehow, 162 00:11:17,200 –> 00:11:20,080 whatever we do, it will all be alright for everybody in the end. 163 00:11:20,080 –> 00:11:21,280 Jesus never says that. 164 00:11:21,280 –> 00:11:27,260 No, he says without repentance, you will die in your sins, why? 165 00:11:27,260 –> 00:11:32,299 Because there is no forgiveness apart from repentance. 166 00:11:32,299 –> 00:11:38,640 Now, the convergence of these two things in the marvelous grace of God, the joining of 167 00:11:38,780 –> 00:11:44,820 these two together, that he forgives at the very beginning of repentance, this is of huge 168 00:11:44,820 –> 00:11:46,059 importance. 169 00:11:46,059 –> 00:11:52,679 Remember this, forgiveness is a priceless gift. 170 00:11:52,679 –> 00:11:59,679 It should always be placed by the one who forgives directly into the hands of the one 171 00:12:00,080 –> 00:12:03,739 who needs to be forgiven. 172 00:12:03,799 –> 00:12:12,799 It should be released wherever hands are open to receive it, but it should never be allowed 173 00:12:13,280 –> 00:12:17,000 to fall to the ground. 174 00:12:17,000 –> 00:12:23,059 It is a priceless gift, and you do not cast a priceless gift on the ground. 175 00:12:23,059 –> 00:12:26,000 Remember what Jesus said in this regard. 176 00:12:26,280 –> 00:12:34,400 He said, do not throw your perils in front of swine, pigs, lest they trample them underfoot 177 00:12:34,400 –> 00:12:36,039 and then turn and attack you. 178 00:12:36,039 –> 00:12:39,599 That speaks directly to the situation, as to many others. 179 00:12:39,599 –> 00:12:48,479 Now, this is of huge practical importance, for every person who asks this question, how 180 00:12:48,479 –> 00:12:55,599 can I forgive someone who is not even sorry for what they have done? 181 00:12:55,599 –> 00:12:58,960 They don’t even recognised what they have done, they have no idea the wounds that they 182 00:12:58,960 –> 00:13:02,960 have caused, they have no ownership, they have taken no responsibility. 183 00:13:02,960 –> 00:13:07,179 How can I forgive someone who isn’t even sorry for what they’ve done? 184 00:13:07,179 –> 00:13:10,979 And I want to say to you this from the Bible, when I think about this. 185 00:13:10,979 –> 00:13:16,460 God Himself does not forgive unrepentant sinners. 186 00:13:16,460 –> 00:13:19,179 What does He do? 187 00:13:19,179 –> 00:13:20,780 Answer? 188 00:13:20,780 –> 00:13:24,219 He Loves them! 189 00:13:24,299 –> 00:13:28,900 He loves them and that is what He calls you to do. 190 00:13:28,900 –> 00:13:31,979 What does He say in relation to the unrepentant person? 191 00:13:31,979 –> 00:13:36,020 He says this, He says, Love your enemies. 192 00:13:36,020 –> 00:13:39,479 Your enemies, he said, the unrepentant person. 193 00:13:39,479 –> 00:13:44,919 Pray for those who persecute you, why does he say that? 194 00:13:44,919 –> 00:13:50,799 Because loving enemies is what God does, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us and 195 00:13:50,820 –> 00:13:56,280 in this way the love of Christ is shown towards us. 196 00:13:56,280 –> 00:14:00,780 Now, you may say, wait a minute, this sounds like a kind of sophistry, you’re just arguing 197 00:14:00,780 –> 00:14:02,239 about words. 198 00:14:02,239 –> 00:14:03,359 No! 199 00:14:03,359 –> 00:14:05,219 Here’s why. 200 00:14:05,219 –> 00:14:17,539 I’m wanting to protect the sacred truth that where there is forgiveness, a relationship 201 00:14:17,539 –> 00:14:19,159 is restored. 202 00:14:19,679 –> 00:14:24,719 There is no such thing in God as forgiveness without restoration of relationship. 203 00:14:24,719 –> 00:14:29,179 This is a strange, modern notion that has crept into our culture, that forgiveness is 204 00:14:29,179 –> 00:14:34,799 a feeling of the heart that can leave a relationship fundamentally as divided as ever it was. 205 00:14:34,799 –> 00:14:37,179 You never find anything like that in God. 206 00:14:37,179 –> 00:14:40,099 That’s a redefinition in our culture of forgiveness. 207 00:14:40,099 –> 00:14:45,140 It’s a lowering of it, it’s an emaciating of it, and it’s a tragic thing. 208 00:14:46,140 –> 00:14:49,880 Many Christians speak about forgiving the unrepentant person. 209 00:14:49,880 –> 00:14:55,780 What is often said is something like this—well, you know, you must do it for your own sake. 210 00:14:55,799 –> 00:15:00,099 You must do it so that the person who has offended against you, so that that person 211 00:15:00,099 –> 00:15:01,900 doesn’t have control over your life. 212 00:15:01,900 –> 00:15:06,140 I mean, they may never repent, and so you mustn’t let that be controlling over you 213 00:15:06,140 –> 00:15:08,200 and so forth. 214 00:15:08,200 –> 00:15:12,200 But do you see the problem that I am trying to draw your attention to in asking you to 215 00:15:12,200 –> 00:15:14,979 forgive the unrepentant person? 216 00:15:15,559 –> 00:15:20,539 They are asking you to do something that God Himself never does. 217 00:15:20,539 –> 00:15:29,320 And in so doing, are changing the very nature of what repentance in the Bible is. 218 00:15:29,320 –> 00:15:34,960 And so I want us to keep this clear in our minds and in our hearts that God’s forgiveness 219 00:15:34,960 –> 00:15:44,140 always effects a restored relationship because forgiveness involves the reconciling of two 220 00:15:44,140 –> 00:15:45,140 people. 221 00:15:45,140 –> 00:15:46,479 One of whom is repenting. 222 00:15:46,479 –> 00:15:48,059 One of whom is forgiving. 223 00:15:48,059 –> 00:15:50,679 And in the grace and the mercy of God the two are brought together. 224 00:15:50,679 –> 00:15:53,320 It’s a wonderful thing. 225 00:15:53,320 –> 00:15:59,859 So I believe as a Pastor that it is indeed a mistake and as you try to have influence 226 00:15:59,859 –> 00:16:03,960 in helping others, you might like to consider this, you may come to different conclusions. 227 00:16:03,960 –> 00:16:11,000 But as best I understand the scripture, I believe it is a great mistake to tell people 228 00:16:11,179 –> 00:16:16,679 that they must forgive where there is no repentance. 229 00:16:16,679 –> 00:16:20,900 God forgives at the first sign of repentance. 230 00:16:20,900 –> 00:16:27,580 And where repentance and forgiveness meet what happens…a relationship is restored. 231 00:16:27,580 –> 00:16:30,280 He does not say to us, forgive your enemies. 232 00:16:30,280 –> 00:16:37,200 He says to us, love your enemies. 233 00:16:37,200 –> 00:16:42,520 Because that is what he does, and I want to show you today that if you will follow that 234 00:16:42,520 –> 00:16:53,179 path, you will be in a place where you are wonderfully, God honoringly, ready to release 235 00:16:53,179 –> 00:17:02,179 forgiveness and place that precious gift into the hand of a person who at long last repents 236 00:17:02,280 –> 00:17:09,280 and trusts that priceless gift that is not cast on the ground, but is sacredly received 237 00:17:09,780 –> 00:17:18,180 in a bond that brings reconciliation and peace, that’s how God forgives, and we are to be 238 00:17:18,180 –> 00:17:22,560 imitators of God. 239 00:17:22,560 –> 00:17:25,660 One more part of this sentence and we’ll get to the path. 240 00:17:25,660 –> 00:17:30,819 God forgives where wrong has been done, where repentance begins… and how does he do it? 241 00:17:30,819 –> 00:17:36,780 He does it because atonement has been made. 242 00:17:36,780 –> 00:17:39,380 Think about this. 243 00:17:39,380 –> 00:17:46,699 There is a sense in which God is the only being in the universe who can not forgive… 244 00:17:46,699 –> 00:17:49,199 and you heard me right. 245 00:17:49,199 –> 00:17:58,160 There is a sense in which God is the only being in the universe who cannot forgive… 246 00:17:59,040 –> 00:18:03,160 ..And here is what I mean by that. 247 00:18:03,160 –> 00:18:11,119 You see, for us who are sinners it is very reasonable for us to be indulgent, for us 248 00:18:11,119 –> 00:18:16,640 to be lenient, for us to be forgiving toward others, whose wrongs may frankly not be very 249 00:18:16,640 –> 00:18:19,439 different from our own. 250 00:18:19,439 –> 00:18:23,959 But God is holy. 251 00:18:24,800 –> 00:18:37,540 When God sees sin in all the ugliness that it is, God is light and in Him is no darkness 252 00:18:37,540 –> 00:18:38,540 at all. 253 00:18:38,540 –> 00:18:42,979 Every time I hear someone say, oh I know God’s forgiven me, but I can’t forgive myself. 254 00:18:42,979 –> 00:18:45,939 Have you ever said that? 255 00:18:45,939 –> 00:18:51,540 Be very careful about that, are you implying that somehow it’s easier for God to forgive 256 00:18:51,599 –> 00:18:53,380 than for you? 257 00:18:53,380 –> 00:19:00,380 James Deney, the Scottish preacher of an earlier generation who writes so wonderfully on the 258 00:19:00,780 –> 00:19:03,939 subject of the atonement, he says this. 259 00:19:03,939 –> 00:19:10,420 If there should turn out after all to be such a thing as divine forgiveness of sins, which 260 00:19:10,420 –> 00:19:17,420 of course there is, we may be sure, he says, that it will be such a forgiveness as carries 261 00:19:17,880 –> 00:19:24,199 the divine condemnation and destruction of sin at the heart of it. 262 00:19:24,199 –> 00:19:28,680 And that, friends, is precisely what we find at the cross. 263 00:19:28,680 –> 00:19:35,680 God’s forgiveness flows out of his own condemnation and his own destruction of all that sin is 264 00:19:38,859 –> 00:19:45,859 in the atoning death of Jesus Christ, God-made man, bearing our sins at Calvary. 265 00:19:47,959 –> 00:19:54,420 That’s what it takes for there to be divine forgiveness. 266 00:19:54,420 –> 00:19:58,599 And it’s of huge importance because whenever there is a real injury, a deep hurt, there 267 00:19:58,599 –> 00:20:05,599 will always be within the human spirit something that cries out, Yes, but where is justice? 268 00:20:05,660 –> 00:20:10,439 And you know that from your heart as I’ve known it in mine. 269 00:20:10,439 –> 00:20:17,439 The Christian answer is justice has been poured out on jesus and it is the cross that makes 270 00:20:17,800 –> 00:20:21,719 forgiveness possible. 271 00:20:21,719 –> 00:20:25,760 So here’s what we need to understand about God’s forgiveness so that we can pursue 272 00:20:25,760 –> 00:20:28,760 ours in the light of it. 273 00:20:28,760 –> 00:20:38,680 God forgives where wrong has been done, when repentance begins because atonement has been 274 00:20:38,719 –> 00:20:45,719 made. It’s amazing. Never belittle the forgiveness of God. Never make it out that it’s 275 00:20:45,800 –> 00:20:51,479 less for God to forgive you than it is for you to forgive yourself. That completely misses 276 00:20:51,479 –> 00:20:54,719 all that Calvary is about. 277 00:20:54,719 –> 00:21:03,719 And that leads to the central question here today and it’s this, how can I get to forgiveness? 278 00:21:04,000 –> 00:21:07,040 How can I get to forgiveness? 279 00:21:07,040 –> 00:21:13,400 And I want you to imagine here that you are standing right next to a hurdle on a race 280 00:21:13,400 –> 00:21:20,400 track and you’re right up against it and you cannot possibly jump that hurdle from 281 00:21:21,219 –> 00:21:26,780 the position in which you find yourself. You can’t jump a hurdle from a standing start 282 00:21:26,780 –> 00:21:31,579 right next to the thing in front of you. It’s impossible, it can’t be done. What 283 00:21:31,579 –> 00:21:32,439 do you have to do? 284 00:21:32,560 –> 00:21:36,099 You have to take a run at it. You have to take a run at it. 285 00:21:37,219 –> 00:21:42,680 Now friends, that image really get to what has been to me one of the most important 286 00:21:42,680 –> 00:21:46,939 things I have learned about the Christian life and of course it’s at the heart of our 287 00:21:46,939 –> 00:21:53,800 series that all progress in the Christian life is made out of the momentum of spiritual 288 00:21:53,800 –> 00:21:55,380 health. 289 00:21:55,380 –> 00:22:01,140 And one of the reasons that some Christians get into difficulties is that Satan can often 290 00:22:01,140 –> 00:22:08,140 get us so focused on that one sin, that one constant feeling, that one problem, that one 291 00:22:10,420 –> 00:22:15,300 issue that we can’t seem to get over and we’re right up against it like the person stuck 292 00:22:15,300 –> 00:22:18,880 still standing next to the hurdle. 293 00:22:18,880 –> 00:22:23,359 And you just can’t get over it from that position you have to get away from it in some degree 294 00:22:23,359 –> 00:22:28,160 and you have to gain some momentum to take a run at it in order to get over the thing, 295 00:22:29,079 –> 00:22:33,920 to some momentum and that momentum will carry you over. 296 00:22:33,920 –> 00:22:37,359 Now we have been learning this principle from the Beatitudes haven’t we? Wait, we’ve been 297 00:22:37,359 –> 00:22:41,439 saying it’s like rings using a different picture, swinging from one to the other, you can’t 298 00:22:41,439 –> 00:22:46,079 begin on the fifth Beatitude, you can’t begin with saying well I’ve gotta forgive now. Hey, 299 00:22:46,079 –> 00:22:49,680 what leads to forgiveness, well you’ve got to start with this blessed are the poor in 300 00:22:49,680 –> 00:22:55,560 spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven how’s that relevant because the very beginning 301 00:22:55,719 –> 00:23:02,459 is seeing my own need for forgiveness and therefore mourning my own sins. 302 00:23:02,459 –> 00:23:06,959 That’s gonna give you some momentum that moves forward. So this is a very important principle 303 00:23:06,959 –> 00:23:11,979 and it runs right throughout the Christian life. So often, the best way to help a person 304 00:23:11,979 –> 00:23:17,280 who’s struggling with one particular issue is to look more broadly at what’s in place 305 00:23:17,280 –> 00:23:21,339 in their Christian life. Are you at worship, are you part of a life group, are you praying 306 00:23:21,339 –> 00:23:25,579 with other people, are you in the word? What are the things that are cultivating your general 307 00:23:25,579 –> 00:23:30,640 spiritual health that are gonna give you a run at gaining victory as it were over this 308 00:23:30,640 –> 00:23:36,540 thing that so troubles you? So I’ve been meditating, now what are they, 309 00:23:36,540 –> 00:23:43,959 what are the things really that are important in gaining momentum to overcome this big hurdle 310 00:23:43,959 –> 00:23:51,260 of forgiveness? And folks as I have meditated on that this week, it has struck me in a way 311 00:23:51,260 –> 00:23:59,680 that I never saw this before, that everything you need to know about how to get to forgiveness 312 00:23:59,680 –> 00:24:06,000 is gathered together in God’s grace in one place in the bible and it is Ephesians in 313 00:24:06,000 –> 00:24:13,359 Chapter 4 and I’d love you to turn with me to that in these last moments. I just wanna 314 00:24:13,359 –> 00:24:20,640 show you the path because as soon as you see it, you’ll see that is a path that I can follow. 315 00:24:20,640 –> 00:24:27,280 There are 6 strides here to use the hurdle analogy toward forgiveness. Six strides towards 316 00:24:27,280 –> 00:24:30,280 forgiveness. You’ll notice if you just open the bible 317 00:24:30,280 –> 00:24:36,239 that the forgiveness is in verse 32 forgiving each other as God in Christ forgave you. And 318 00:24:36,239 –> 00:24:41,939 how you get there which is our question begins in verse 30. 319 00:24:41,939 –> 00:24:47,520 Let me just show you briefly then these six strides towards forgiveness, number 1 you 320 00:24:48,040 –> 00:24:55,040 want to forgive? You want to get there? Remember that the Holy Spirit lives within you. 321 00:24:58,500 –> 00:25:05,500 Verse 30 The holy spirit by whom you were sealed. This is where progress towards being 322 00:25:08,579 –> 00:25:15,579 able to forgive will begin for you today. You’re a Christian believer? The Holy Spirit 323 00:25:16,420 –> 00:25:23,420 of God lives within you. Now you may have experienced hurts that are incredibly hard 324 00:25:26,300 –> 00:25:31,260 to forgive, hurts that I know nothing about. Hurts that are deeper than anything I’ve ever 325 00:25:31,260 –> 00:25:38,260 experienced in my entire life. But here’s what you need to know. Nobody, and I’ll say 326 00:25:39,140 –> 00:25:46,140 it again, nobody, nobody has ever had more to forgive than God. Think about that. Every 327 00:25:51,140 –> 00:25:57,020 sin that you have ever committed is a personal offense against Him. That’s a lot of forgiving 328 00:25:57,020 –> 00:26:04,020 He’s had to do just in relation to you. And it’s more than that, isn’t it? Because every 329 00:26:04,160 –> 00:26:10,920 sin that has ever been committed by every believer who has ever lived was a personal 330 00:26:10,920 –> 00:26:17,020 offense again him, and contributes to the agonies that were endured on Calvary by His 331 00:26:17,020 –> 00:26:24,020 Son. You’ve got a part in that, and so do I. So think how much God has to forgive. It’s 332 00:26:25,180 –> 00:26:32,180 unimaginable. And He’s done it, and His Spirit lives. 333 00:26:34,020 –> 00:26:41,020 Live in you. You think about that? Here’s where you need to begin if you’re going to 334 00:26:41,060 –> 00:26:46,540 take a run at forgiveness. You look at this offense that seems so impossible for you to 335 00:26:46,540 –> 00:26:53,540 forgive. Here’s stride one. Remember the Spirit of the forgiving God lives in you. His Spirit 336 00:26:54,119 –> 00:26:54,859 lives. 337 00:26:54,859 –> 00:27:01,859 Number two. Don’t dwell on the injury. Don’t dwell on the injury. That’s what He says in 338 00:27:02,260 –> 00:27:09,260 verse 31, Let all bitterness and wrath and anger be put away from you. This is very practical. 339 00:27:11,099 –> 00:27:18,099 Bitterness, wrath, and anger all come from one source, nursing a grievance. Someone’s 340 00:27:18,479 –> 00:27:25,459 wronged you, and your mind keeps going over it and over it again. You think about it at 341 00:27:25,459 –> 00:27:30,300 night. You think about it during the day. You think about it in the car. You keep thinking 342 00:27:30,300 –> 00:27:34,880 about it, how wrong it was and how hurtful it is, and every time you think about it you’re 343 00:27:34,880 –> 00:27:41,880 stoking a fire within your soul that’s increasing bitterness and it’s increasing anger. Bitterness, 344 00:27:43,060 –> 00:27:50,060 anger, and wrath are fires that need to be fed. So stop giving them fuel by nursing the 345 00:27:53,339 –> 00:27:59,219 grievance. When your mind goes back to this stuff, and we all know what this is like sometimes 346 00:27:59,219 –> 00:28:04,180 in smaller things and sometimes in bigger things, say to yourself, there are better 347 00:28:04,180 –> 00:28:11,180 things for your mind to be filled with than this. And then by the power of the Holy spirit 348 00:28:11,760 –> 00:28:18,119 who lives within you, set your mind on something else. You can do that, because the Holy spirit 349 00:28:18,119 –> 00:28:22,180 lives within you. The Bible says you can set your mind on things above. You can set your 350 00:28:22,180 –> 00:28:27,060 mind on other things. You can choose to think about the things that are good and pure and 351 00:28:27,400 –> 00:28:30,920 funny and lovely. Philippians 4 and so forth and so on. 352 00:28:30,920 –> 00:28:37,920 Now I’m saying to you, if you will add the second stride of refusing to dwell on it to 353 00:28:39,699 –> 00:28:44,680 the first stride of knowing that the spirit of the forgiving God lives within you, you 354 00:28:44,680 –> 00:28:50,219 will already be on the move towards the place where you will be able to forgive. You’re 355 00:28:50,219 –> 00:28:56,280 not there yet, but you’re moving towards it, and you’ve gained momentum. You’re not standing 356 00:28:56,280 –> 00:29:01,079 right up against the hurdle absolutely stuck anymore. 357 00:29:01,079 –> 00:29:08,079 Here’s the third thing. Don’t fight and quarrel. Verse 31. Let clamor and slander be put away 358 00:29:09,900 –> 00:29:16,900 from you along with all malice. Now you know what it’s like. We’ve all seen this. We’ve 359 00:29:18,099 –> 00:29:24,300 experienced it. When a relationship is in trouble then arguments over who did what 360 00:29:25,119 –> 00:29:29,959 and all the rest of it so often make it worse. What the scripture is saying to us here is 361 00:29:29,959 –> 00:29:36,780 quite simply don’t do that. Don’t do it. 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 24. The lord’s servant 362 00:29:36,780 –> 00:29:43,540 must not quarrel period. That’s not something that I am to do. Fighting and quabbling are 363 00:29:43,540 –> 00:29:48,900 going to do what? They’re going to stoke these old fires of bitterness and of anger and that’s 364 00:29:48,900 –> 00:29:53,180 going to put me further from forgiveness which is the very thing I’m trying to move towards. 365 00:29:53,180 –> 00:29:59,760 So I must not do this. Do not let glamour or slander occupy your mind or your heart. 366 00:29:59,760 –> 00:30:03,479 Slander, what does that mean? It means when I’m sitting at breakfast, when I’m sitting 367 00:30:03,479 –> 00:30:08,859 at lunch, I’m to quit the habit of going on and on about that person and what he did, 368 00:30:08,859 –> 00:30:14,800 what a wretched person she is or whatever that is. And you know how easily that can 369 00:30:14,800 –> 00:30:18,459 creep into us when we feel hurt and when we’re wounded and what we’re doing is we’re stoking 370 00:30:18,459 –> 00:30:24,859 the fires and we’re making it harder and harder and harder to forgive. And put away 371 00:30:24,859 –> 00:30:30,280 all malice that is the desire that that person should get what they deserve. That’s what 372 00:30:30,280 –> 00:30:36,160 malice is. So there are a couple of negatives here. They are very, very important. There 373 00:30:36,160 –> 00:30:42,380 are certain things that always make forgiveness further away and if you keep doing them you 374 00:30:42,380 –> 00:30:48,119 will not be able to forgive. You want to forgive, here’s what’s important, knowing the power 375 00:30:48,119 –> 00:30:53,640 of the Holy Spirit who lives within you, the Spirit of the forgiving God. Verse 31, let 376 00:30:53,640 –> 00:30:59,760 all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you along with 377 00:30:59,760 –> 00:31:10,260 all malice, all desiring that he or she will get what they deserve. And step four, have 378 00:31:10,400 –> 00:31:20,520 compassion on the one who has hurt you. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, verse 379 00:31:20,520 –> 00:31:29,479 32. Now, here’s something that’s very important in that hardest of situations, the person 380 00:31:29,479 –> 00:31:34,560 who is completely unrepentant. They have hurt you more than they can begin to imagine, they 381 00:31:34,560 –> 00:31:38,319 have no sense of responsibility about it, they don’t think they’ve done anything wrong, 382 00:31:38,319 –> 00:31:42,479 and they’re probably going on and doing something similar to some other person and the whole 383 00:31:42,479 –> 00:31:50,280 thing is tragic. Absolutely tragic! No ownership, no responsibility, they’re completely blind 384 00:31:50,280 –> 00:31:58,760 to what they have been doing, and perhaps what they’re doing still! Think about this, 385 00:31:58,760 –> 00:32:03,439 if you see in the street a person who is physically blind, do you want to kick their stick away 386 00:32:03,439 –> 00:32:11,020 and get angry with them? No, when someone’s blind, you have compassionate, you have pity. 387 00:32:11,020 –> 00:32:18,819 Now if you know that this person is blind, it’s evident, can’t see what he’s done, 388 00:32:18,819 –> 00:32:27,540 use that to help you in what Christ is calling you to hear, and do you have pain? Or you 389 00:32:27,540 –> 00:32:31,219 say, oh you’ve no idea how much pain I have, that’s what makes it so difficult, oh you 390 00:32:31,219 –> 00:32:39,459 have lots of pain, here’s an opportunity. It says of Jesus, that He became the merciful 391 00:32:39,459 –> 00:32:48,699 and tender high priest that He is through what He suffered. Pain made Him the kind of 392 00:32:48,699 –> 00:32:54,380 high priest that someone can come to because He knows it from the inside. Now pain always 393 00:32:54,380 –> 00:33:00,719 has the potential to make a very hard hearted person, but pain also has the potential to 394 00:33:00,719 –> 00:33:06,339 make a very soft Hearted person and where the Spirit of Christ is operating within a 395 00:33:06,339 –> 00:33:14,719 soul. That may be something that you may look for. Let me put it this way. Use your pain 396 00:33:14,719 –> 00:33:23,979 as fuel for compassion. If something can hurt this much, then I must seek to be a more compassionate 397 00:33:23,979 –> 00:33:31,180 tender-hearted person. When Christ saw the crowd, you remember what? He had compassion 398 00:33:31,180 — 00:33:34,699 on them. Why because they were sheep without a shepherd. They didn’t even know they were 399 00:33:34,699 –> 00:33:41,500 lost. They had no clue. And the person who sinned against you may still be like that 400 00:33:42,500 –> 00:33:49,500 today. Kind, tender-hearted. Number 5, 5th stride, realize that you will need the forgiveness 401 00:33:52,859 –> 00:33:54,719 of others. 402 00:33:54,719 –> 00:33:59,420 Notice what it says. Just looking at it. It’s remarkable how God gives us all this together. 403 00:33:59,420 –> 00:34:06,260 Verse 32. Forgiving one another. Now notice it’s never one direction here. God does not 404 00:34:06,339 –> 00:34:13,080 say you should forgive someone who has hurt you, he says here, we should be forgiving 405 00:34:13,080 –> 00:34:20,080 each other. What does that say? It says very clearly this. There may be things that you 406 00:34:20,100 –> 00:34:27,000 need to forgive in others, but you can be absolutely certain that there will also be 407 00:34:27,000 –> 00:34:31,760 things that others need to forgive in you. 408 00:34:31,760 –> 00:34:37,760 So here’s something that you will find to be true. It is just not possible to at the 409 00:34:37,760 –> 00:34:44,760 same time be asking God for mercy and to be refusing in your heart that same mercy towards 410 00:34:47,760 –> 00:34:53,520 someone who has wronged you, realizing your own continued need of forgiveness both from 411 00:34:53,520 –> 00:34:59,320 God and from others. I will be very glad for things that others will forgive me for that 412 00:34:59,320 –> 00:35:03,679 I do not know anything about, at this point. But we are all sinners and we are all in need, 413 00:35:03,679 –> 00:35:09,020 and that is very important to remember as a stride towards forgiveness. It is forgiving 414 00:35:09,020 –> 00:35:15,040 one another. It is not just me that’s forgiving. I also am one who needs to be forgiven. 415 00:35:15,040 –> 00:35:22,040 And here’s the last. Savannah your forgiveness in Christ. Notice what he says. By forgiving 416 00:35:22,040 –> 00:35:31,040 one another as God in Christ has forgiven you. In other words, God’s forgiveness is 417 00:35:31,040 –> 00:35:36,399 both the model of our forgiving and it is the motive of our forgiving. We’re to forgive 418 00:35:36,399 –> 00:35:42,820 one another how as God in Christ has forgiven you, which is why we spent time on looking 419 00:35:42,820 –> 00:35:48,899 at how He did this, how He does this. And what he’s saying here is if you’re wanting 420 00:35:49,399 –> 00:35:53,919 to get to the place where you can forgive, here you’ve been gaining some momentum with 421 00:35:53,919 –> 00:35:57,699 each of these strides. Now you’re moving. You’re advancing and here’s how you’ll 422 00:35:57,699 –> 00:36:01,760 get to the point where you’re ready to take off as you draw near to the hurdle. Now, 423 00:36:01,760 –> 00:36:08,040 you just fill your mind with what it means for God to forgive you. Turn that over in 424 00:36:08,040 –> 00:36:15,040 your mind. How has Christ forgiven me? He’s done it freely. He’s done it gladly. He’s 425 00:36:16,040 –> 00:36:21,760 done it fully. He’s done it in a way that was undeserved. He’s done it in a way that 426 00:36:21,760 –> 00:36:26,600 is irreversible. He’s done it in a way that is eternal and will never be withdrawn. He’s 427 00:36:26,600 –> 00:36:31,459 done it in love and he’s done it in mercy and he’s done it out of an agony of heart 428 00:36:31,459 –> 00:36:38,459 that was shrouded in darkness at Calvary and for all eternity I will never be able to understand 429 00:36:38,620 –> 00:36:45,620 the fullness of that pain. Savor your forgiveness in Christ. Get your heart up there. Appreciate 430 00:36:47,719 –> 00:36:53,719 it. Enjoy it. Get yourself lost in wonder and love and praise in what God has done for 431 00:36:53,719 –> 00:36:58,159 you in Jesus Christ and what he’s doing for you now and what he will do for you forever 432 00:36:58,159 –> 00:37:05,159 and then forgive one another as God in Christ forgave you. 433 00:37:05,639 –> 00:37:12,639 See here are six strides toward forgiveness. And what I’m saying to you is you practice 434 00:37:15,239 –> 00:37:22,239 these six strides and the seventh will take you over the hurdle. And you will find that 435 00:37:25,540 –> 00:37:32,540 you have the ability to forgive. Friends for those of you, and this is the very last word, 436 00:37:32,780 –> 00:37:39,780 struggle with a person who has hurt you so badly. And they are in this position that 437 00:37:41,219 –> 00:37:46,379 we spoken of today of being completely unaware of what they have done no sense of responsibility. 438 00:37:46,379 –> 00:37:53,379 I’m saying to you take these six strides on the path of mercy and you will be ready 439 00:37:53,459 –> 00:38:00,459 at any moment to forgive. Forgiveness will already be in your freed heart, ready to be 440 00:38:02,699 –> 00:38:09,699 released, placed into the hands of one who has wronged you and yet in God’s mercy may 441 00:38:14,300 –> 00:38:19,280 one day be restored. 442 00:38:19,800 –> 00:38:26,800 And that is how Jesus Christ is towards you today. He is kind, he is tender-hearted, he 443 00:38:31,399 –> 00:38:38,399 has compassion on you. His nail-pierced hands are reaching out to you today so that whatever 444 00:38:39,800 –> 00:38:46,800 in your life needs to be forgiven, he’s ready to forgive that for you, but he’s not going 445 00:38:49,399 –> 00:38:54,300 to let that priceless, blood-bought pearl fall to the ground, he’s going to place it 446 00:38:54,300 –> 00:39:00,340 right in your hands, which means you’ve got to draw near to him. And that’s what faith 447 00:39:00,340 –> 00:39:07,340 and what repentance does. And he’s ready to do that. However much you have wounded him, 448 00:39:08,219 –> 00:39:14,080 he’s ready to do that for you today. And if you believe this, why would you not then come 449 00:39:14,080 –> 00:39:21,080 to Him in repentance and in faith today? Father, please use your word as oil and wine 450 00:39:25,879 –> 00:39:32,879 poured into the wounds of hurting hearts that we may take great strides on the path of mercy 451 00:39:37,000 –> 00:39:43,919 that leads to forgiveness. Through Jesus Christ our Lord in whose name we pray. 452 00:39:44,320 –> 00:39:49,479 Thanks for joining us this week, we’ve been listening to a sermon with scholar Pastor 453 00:39:49,479 –> 00:39:53,520 Colin Smith of Open The Bible, to contact us call the number brisbaneaplindung 211-371-TALK 454 00:39:53,520 –> 00:39:55,820 or visit our website openthebible.org

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Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

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Sermons on the Beatitudes The Beatitudes are not telling you how to become a Christian – they tell you what a true Christian looks like. Everyone wants to be blessed. We want to be blessed in life, blessed in death, and blessed in eternity. In the Beatitudes, the Son of God tells us about the

Colin Smith

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