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I don't know if you know that last song was written by Martin Luther, as well as the first hymn we sang. Luther writes from Psalm 130, we just sang it, If you remember each misdeed of each thought and word take heed, who can remain before you?
That is a great question. For introduction today, please turn your Bibles to Revelation chapter 20. As we look at this very question, how can we stand in the presence of God? Many things in life are relevant and apropos, this is the most, because one day we'll stand before God and we need to make sure we are trusting in our faithful Savior, the High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation chapter 20, verse 12, this is regarding the great white throne judgment, that judgment day that's coming. And remember Luther said, I have two days in my calendar, today and that day, judgment day, referring to Revelation 20.
Verse 12, And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged. Each one of them, notice, according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.
This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Friends, can you imagine if you had to stand before God, based on everything that you've said and done, or what you haven't done?
There are two sets of books, these books that have all these things written in them. But did you notice what's different between the two books? One set of books for the unbelievers, God is going to judge them according to what they had done.
Verse 12, according to what they had done. Verse 13, but what's absent in the other books, the book of life? It doesn't say according to what they have done, only their names are written. Isn't that amazing?
If you're going to be judged based on your deeds, who could stand as Luther was right? But if the Lord Jesus Christ has paid for all your sins, and you're trusting in him alone, guess what's in the book of life?
Not your deeds, but just what? Your name. That is why I love the book of Hebrews, is because the Lord Jesus Christ has paid for every one of my sins, and you believers, he's paid for every one of your sins, and for him to take me into heaven, I think that is great news.
Isn't forgiveness of sins great news? To be forgiven, knowing who we really are, forgetting the press, forgetting the soft light camera lenses, we know who we are, we know we're rebelling against God, we haven't loved him, we haven't loved neighbor, yet the Lord Jesus Christ pays for every one of those deeds which we have done, and grants us eternal life.
I'd like to know more about that savior, I'd like to study him more, I'd like to just sit and gaze at him and look at him, and that is the book of Hebrews. So let's turn our Bibles to Hebrews chapter 8, a great magnification of the person and work of the Lord Jesus, who forgives sinners, no matter what the sin, from self-righteousness to unrighteousness, this is really good news.
I often get asked to speak at places, for Christian places, I don't have to say what I do, but when an unbeliever asks me to officiate a funeral, or maybe I have to officiate a wedding maybe, or I'm gonna go speak some place, I always say, you know what, I'd love to come, but I just want you to know, I'm a minister of the gospel, and I'm gonna tell people about the good news that Jesus Christ saves sinners, and if they say no thank you, okay fine, and if they say okay, as one person said, just don't make it long, just don't, but I don't need long to tell you about the life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension and exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the great high priest, I have good news, and the thing about good news, it's good news based on how bad the bad news is.
If you don't really think you're that sinful, and God's not really that holy, the difference can be gapped with, I don't know, education, and self-fulfillment, and self-esteem, and Ativan and everything else, but if God is thrice holy and we're sinful, the gap has to be mediated and arbitrated by the Lord Jesus Christ, who is perfectly man to be our representative, and perfectly God to be our substitute, and the book of Hebrews just will not let you stop thinking about who Jesus is, I've said many times, if you want to hear sermons about Jesus, you're in the right place.
Now what we'll do here in Hebrews chapter 8, is to have a little review before we get into the section where we're in, verses 7 through 13, talking about mercy and forgiveness in the new covenant, so what I thought I'd do since we were gone last week, the elect showed up last week in the snowstorm, the non-elect, how was your nap?
Just to catch you up to speed, here's what we'll do for a review, I'm going to give you one verse in each of the 7 chapters of Hebrews 1 to 7, that will propel us to chapter 8, so instead of me giving you a regular review, let me just read 7 verses, one from each chapter in the book of Hebrews, for our review, all talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, who is greater than angels, greater than Aaron, and greater than the old covenant.
Chapter 1 verse 3, he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature and he upholds the universe by the word of his power, after making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.
Chapter 2 verse 17 please, therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God to make propitiation or assuage the wrath for the sins of the people.
Chapter 3 verse 3, for Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 414, since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus emphasizing his humanity, the son of God emphasizing his deity, let us hold fast our confession.
Chapter 5 verse 5, so also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, you are my son, today I have begotten you. Chapter 6 verse 19, we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.
And finally for our review one verse per chapter, chapter 7 verse 26 please, for it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens.
And you can see, can you not, even based on those 7 verses, the relentlessness of this writer to make sure he extols without apology that the Lord Jesus Christ is the great high priest. And what he does on the way is not only to give people the good news, is he attacks the very heart of the Judaistic system, the Jewish system, and that is the Levitical priesthood.
He's not just one of these people that says, I want to be known for what I'm for and not what I'm against. If you're against the old covenant, if you're against sacrifices week after week, day after day that do not atone for sin, you've got to be for the once and for all sacrifice and against those.
And so he in this sermon, in this sermon epistle, says Christianity is better than Judaism. And if Christianity is better than a God-ordained Old Testament Judaism, isn't it better, isn't Christianity better than every other religion?
The answer has to be yes. And this writer wants you to say, I agree, I trust, I give assent, I heartily concur, I repent of my old way of thinking, and I want to just trust this savior. Then chapter 8, we come to the new covenant, and you can see maybe even in your liner notes in the SV Bible, Jesus, high priest of a better covenant.
It says right above chapter 8, verse 1. If you look down at verse 6 with a little reiteration from two weeks ago, but as it is, Christ, focusing on the Messiah there, has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old, that's the old Sinaitic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, as the covenant he, Christ, mediates, is better, since it is enacted on better promises.
And the writer here simply wants you to know that Jesus is the mediator for a better covenant. He is, in fact, the true mediator, the final mediator, the ultimate mediator. Everything else in the Old Testament, shadows and types and sacrifices, all pointing to this one who's now here, as the writer writes, after the death of Christ.
Jesus' ministry is superior because he has better promises and is a better mediator. The old covenant was simply obey and you're fine. The new covenant is, I know you can't obey, so trust in the one, the Lord Jesus, who obeyed in your place, in your stead, on your behalf.
Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved. Rest in him, trust in him. If you look at verse 6, that word mediator comes from the word you might know, meso, is the first part of it, and once in a while we throw in a Greek word.
What's another word that starts with meso, that's got the mediation in there? It's the word that Benjamin Franklin said, when George Whitefield says this word, women swoon, and that's that word. Now you all want to know what it is, don't you?
Well I told you what it was last week, so some of you know. It's the word mesopotamia, between rivers. Here this is between people who are in a dispute. He's an intermediator between those who have a dispute, and this one who's disputing is the Lord God, and on the other side it's us.
We've got a debt before the Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus stands as a go-between. Can you think of a better mediator? Can you think of a better person to be your lawyer or your advocate? Someone to stand between you and someone?
And then what he does, the writer in verses 8 and following, he quotes from Jeremiah 31. Now lots of times when he quotes from an Old Testament passage in Hebrews, he explains, and he has a little bit of exposition.
Here he just does not do that. He quotes only. No explanation of this reference. And this Christian is for you. This new covenant is for you. There's lots of views to whom this is for, but you have to at least at the end of the day say, this is for me.
I receive these benefits. They apply to me. Remember Jesus said when he inaugurated the blood, his own blood of the new covenant at the last supper. Likewise, he also took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant, Jeremiah 31, in my blood, which is shed for you.
And then he also, through the apostle Paul, had the Gentiles receive this with the Lord's supper, 1 Corinthians 11, for I receive from the Lord what I also deliver to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant, referring to this, in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.
This is in operation now. This is not going to be sometime later where you get these benefits. You receive, Christian, these benefits now. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3 that Christians are ministers of the new covenant.
Now, this new covenant is for you. Founded on better promises for you, in force for you now, because the final realization of this covenant is in Christ Jesus. And it had to be, verse 7, did it not? It had to be driven by God.
It had to be better because look at the old one, verse 7. The first covenant, if it had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. But there was faults built in. The built-in fault was law never saves.
It can just show you where you fall short. And the people disobey. So this old covenant could never work by design and by the people's disobedience. Well, this new covenant is going to work by design and by the last Adam's obedience.
The first covenant, we can find fault with the people. The last covenant, we will not be able to find fault with God. God must intervene. God to the rescue, verse 8. Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand. What language of compassion and fatherhood to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant and I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
Remember, the people said, all that the Lord has spoken, we will do. We will be obedient. And of course, they were not. Verse 10, for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days, declares the Lord, I will put my laws into their minds, write them on their hearts.
And can you imagine? And I will be their God and they shall be my people. Where was the law kept in the old covenant? In the Holy of Holies, in the Ark of the Covenant, for only the high priest, for only once a year.
New covenant's better. How is it better? The law is in your heart. That regenerated new heart that God gave you, he puts the law right there. You have access. He's comparing the two. This is way better.
No wonder now we can see with Romans 7 .22, I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. And look at the intimacy that's with this covenant, and I will be their God and they shall be my people.
I mean, the new covenant is so great compared to the old. Verse 11 goes on to talk about how much greater it is, and they shall not teach each one his neighbor. This is not an absolute you don't teach.
This is compared to the old. And each one his brother saying, know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest. You mean the knowledge of God isn't going to be with the privileged few, with the privileged priest, with those in the sanctuary, with those in the Holy of Holies?
You mean it's not going to be just for them? You mean I get that knowledge too in the new covenant? Yes. And what we want to talk about for the rest of today is really the highlight of the new covenant found in verse 12.
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. Could there be anything greater in life? Why would you go back? Why would you go back to animal sacrifices? And by the way, how many sins were forgiven when those bulls were slain, when those goats were slain, when the sheep were slain, when the doves were killed?
How many sins were forgiven? Answer? Zero. Abraham's sins, Moses' sins, David's sins, Esther's sins, Rahab's sins, Job's sins, Adam's sins, Eve's sins were never cleansed by sacrifice. They were cleansed by the sacrifice that were to come was to come the Lord Jesus.
Why go back? And by the way, this language here, as we saw two weeks ago, I'll remember their sins no more. It's a double Greek negative. You know, there's lots of times in my life I'm not very charismatic, but here's one today.
My hand goes up. God, thank you. It's a double negative. I'll never, ever, ever, ever, ever remember those sins. Remember the sins you remember? I was thinking about some yesterday. I was on the bicycle a couple days ago too.
I'm thinking, I wish I could get those sins out of my mind. I'm disgusted by those. I just think, what if I'm ever on a lie detector test and people find out what shame, what guilt. But because this new covenant is better, because the Lord Jesus paid for those sins and He doesn't have double jeopardy, those sins God remembers no more, they're gone.
This is talking about the completeness of God's forgiveness. This is the kind of forgiveness that was promised in the Old Testament, fulfilled in the new covenant. How about Psalm 103? 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 toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us. I don't know if it's exegetically true, but it makes a good story.
Why doesn't He say, as far as the north is from the south, God has forgiven you. Could it be that if you go north long enough, you end up going south, but if you go east far enough, you're never going to go west?
I don't know, but the picture is totality, gone. Yes, your sins because of Jesus, gone, removed. Isaiah 43, He blots out your transgressions, I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 44 says the same thing.
The worst things that you've said or done are not said or done. Isaiah 44 says to the Christian who's trusting in the high priest, I've blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like a mist.
I mean, does anybody do this? Can you think of another religion where there's a God like this? Is this how Allah is? Who is a God like you, Micah 7, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression? You cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
And if you look at chapter 10, verse 3, those Old Testament sacrifices forced you to be reminded of your sins. Do you notice it? Don't miss it, chapter 10, verse 3 of Hebrews. But in these sacrifices, there is a what?
A reminder. Old covenant, reminder. Don't forget, don't forget, don't forget. New covenant, gone. These things are gone. People say, well, I don't need these kind of sermons. I've got a lot of stress in my life and family issues and relationships.
And give me something practical. Friends, this is the most practical sermon I could ever give you. There's something more important than everything else in the world. Do you know what that is? A lot of things in the world are important.
Paul said, I delivered to you as of what? 1 Corinthians 15, first importance. And once you begin to assume the gospel with one generation, the next generation loses it. And the writer of Hebrews won't let you lose it.
When I was a kid and we would wrestle, we would say, uncle, please don't break my shoulder. Don't knock it out of socket. And of course, years came by and we have new slogans. And for those who are the Krav Maga instructors here and Krav Maga people, I'm looking at you right now.
If somebody's in a hold and you're going to lose, you tap out. He's not going to let you tap out because he knows deep down why you might hanker after, give me four communication skills and how to get through the day tomorrow.
You might love that and some of it certainly has its place, but it's not first place. If somebody could forgive all my sins, I'd like to know more about him. And it's not found in the old covenant. By the way, verse 13, do you notice in speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete and what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish.
In other words, stay on target. Don't go back. Who has the better promises? So our outline today for the rest of our time, let me give you six words highlighting Jesus, your great high priest. Six words about forgiveness highlighting the Lord Jesus.
Picking up again when chapter 8 verse 12 about remembering our sins no more. The first word, sovereign. Sovereign. Who's the one who initiates this forgiveness? Is there something we can do? Can we earn forgiveness?
Can we be contrite enough? When I'm in Rome and I go to La Scala Sancta, the sacred steps that supposedly were the steps that Jesus was on, Pontius Pilate was there and they transported them. They, Rome transported them, the Roman Catholic Church to Rome and you can go up on your knees and you can say the paternoster up on every one of the steps.
I tried going up a couple times ago, but my knees hurt so bad and people take such a long time. I could find no fast lane to get around people. So I just had to get up and walk back down. How many times must I go up those steps to have my sins forgiven?
What must I do? Do I abstain from something during Lent? Do I cut myself? Do I deprive myself? Do I... There's nothing I can do, it has to be by God. Look, initiated by God. I, verse 10, will be their God.
I, verse 12, will be merciful toward their iniquities. God is active in forgiveness and we're passive. It's something done for us, to us. Even that whole idea of remembering, there are some sins that we've done and we still remember them.
What does it mean when God doesn't remember? It just means simply this, since I've punished my son for your sins, I'm not going to hold those against you. I'll treat you as if you never did those sins.
I'll treat you as if you perfectly obeyed me because you have the Lord Jesus Christ's righteousness. Calvin said, God forgives us and remits all our punishment that we had deserved. Can you imagine being on death row for punishments that you did and then you got out?
Reminds me of that old story that S. Lewis Johnson tells about Barabbas. Barabbas the murderer, along with two other thieves and murderers. And can you imagine, he hears the prison warden walking down the halls as it were, putting the key in the jail cell, opening it and saying, you're next to be crucified.
And he looks out the window and he sees that thief crucified, thief one. He hears a moment later, another person walking down the hall in that jail and he turns the key and he hears that key sound and he says, you're guilty, you're to be crucified next.
And he watches out the window, thief number two get crucified. And then he hears that same jailer come walking down the halls of the jail. He hears the keys, he hears the keys turn, he opens up the door and instead of saying, you're to be crucified, he says, what to Barabbas?
You're free. You're free, somebody has taken your place. What a great picture of substitution. I wonder what he thought. I think here's what he thought. I got a lot of stress in my life tomorrow about work and some communication problems and I think we better dwell on those.
Can't I please have a TED talk to get me through the week? I'd like to know who took my place. I'd like to thank him. I'd like to devote my life to him. He took my punishment and it's not like I was innocent, I was guilty.
The Belgic Confession, under justification of sinners, is devotionally rich when it comes to forgiveness. It says this, we believe that our blessedness lies in the forgiveness of our sins because of Jesus Christ.
Therefore we cling to this foundation which is firm forever, giving all glory to God, humbling ourselves and recognizing ourselves as we are. Not claiming a thing for ourselves or our merits and leaning and resting on the sole obedience of Christ crucified which is ours when we believe in Him.
That is enough to cover all our sins and to make us confident, freeing the conscience from fear, dread, terror of God's approach without doing what our first parents Adam and Eve did who trembled as they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves.
Word number two, exclusive. Forgiveness through the high priest is exclusive. It is only found in him because he is the one given the new covenant. Turn your Bibles please to Ephesians 1. I think it's echoed here as well.
Ephesians chapter 1. Remember Christian, you live in a pluralistic world. You live in a world that says all roads lead to God and in fact they do. All religions lead to God. Did you hear me rightly? Yes, they all lead to God and they lead to His judgment throne.
Only one religion leads to God. So your names are written in the book of life. Not judged based on your deeds. Only one. And this is why the world hates Christianity. This is why when there is martyr after martyr after martyr in the last two weeks in Africa you, Christian, hear not one word.
For the same reason they hate the Lord Jesus because He's the only Savior. And there is spiritual warfare going on. Ephesians 1 .7. Thinking about that word exclusive. If you want forgiveness, it comes from God and it's only in Jesus.
If you're someone here today and you're not a Christian, it's only found in Him. I implore you to believe in Him. Verse 7, do you see it? In Him, talking about Christ, we have redemption through His blood.
It's only in Him. It's not in your favorite Bible teacher. It's not found in me. It's not found in the Pope. It's not found in Buddha. It's not found in Mary Baker, Eddie Glover, Patterson Fry, or to whomever she was married.
All the blessings are found in Him. And in no one else. Sola Christus. There's no plan B. The Father chooses, verses 4, 5, and 6, and the Son dies for those the Father has chosen. And I don't think the Father is impressed with anybody else who comes along and says, no, no, you trust in me instead of trusting in the Son in whom the Father sent.
You're not saved by baptism. You're not saved by sacraments. There's salvation found in no other. If you'd like to be forgiven, it's in Christ Jesus, John 1 .12. But as many as received Him, the Lord, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.
You know the verse, do you not, Christian? I'm the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through me. Spurgeon said, salvation is of the Lord alone. This truth will stand the test of ages and can never be moved because it is the immutable truth of the living God.
It's only found in Jesus. Word number three, also found in Ephesians 1, factual or true. Forgiveness is sovereign. It is found only in Christ Jesus, and it's actually true. It's not made up. It's not legal fiction.
Do you notice the text again in Ephesians 1 .7? In Him we have redemption. That's factual. I've met people before and they say, I've committed so many horrible sins, I don't feel forgiven. What do you think I say to them?
Tell me about the Jesus you're trusting in, and if you're trusting in Him, then you are forgiven. I don't care what you feel, you are actually forgiven. Your guilt against God is removed. Yeah, I know, but I was an Israelite back in the day, and I was taken out of Egypt through the Red Sea, standing on the dry ground, but I don't feel like I'm out of Egypt.
What would you say to that person? This is true. This is real redemption. This is not possible, probable, potential. This is real redemption. Do you notice the text, verse 7? We have, present tense, we have redemption.
When I was a kid, when I thought of the word redemption, I did not think of slavery, buying out of the slave pit in the South. I did not think of, what did I think of? I didn't think of cans, like a Dr. Pepper can or a Mountain Dew can.
I didn't think of Moxie cans, because who drinks Antifreeze in Nebraska? Not me. But we had S &H green stamps, did we not? And if you don't know what those are, there's an app for that, young people. And we would get those stamps, and you'd get a stamp at the grocery store and put it in the book, and you'd go in, you'd redeem it for something, you'd cash it in.
The idea here is, Christ has paid for our sins, at His own price, the ransom price for the cash-in, was His own life, and we are free. No longer in bondage, no longer in prison. If you have not read John Murray's Redemption, Accomplish and Apply, that would be a good book for you to read.
We are redeemed with the precious blood as a lamb unblemished and spotless, 1 Peter chapter 1. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. And then there's kind of a cool thing here in Ephesians, it's called an apposition.
What's an apposition? Well, it's important to study grammar, and I'm going to give you a little grammar lesson here, and I think you're going to like it. And if you don't like it, then I'll try something else.
But I'm not here to get you to like anything, I'm getting you reminded of what this text says about our Lord and Savior Jesus. In Him we have redemption through His blood, equal sign, apposition, the forgiveness of our trespasses.
An apposition is a figure of speech, it's like a road bump. You're going along and all of a sudden, hey, verbs are taken out, and you kind of go over the bump going, hey, I should probably look at this.
That's what's happening here. Technically, it functions as a hyperbaton. How about that? I've never said that word from this pulpit ever, but I'm going to say it again now, hyperbaton. When I was growing up, the hyperbaton was that girl who did all the baton stuff before we marched in marching band.
What's a hyperbaton? The Greek word hyper means over, and baton means to step. Stepping over. And if you'd like to understand redemption through His blood, you've got to step over a couple of verbs that aren't there, because then He just says, by the way, forgiveness.
Forgiveness found, forgiveness of trespasses. Well, the point is simple. In Christ, you have forgiveness, total forgiveness of trespasses. It doesn't even say sins there. It says trespasses, every kind of sin you've ever committed.
If there are a difference of mortal and venial, which there isn't, but if there was a difference, you'd be forgiven of both. That's amazing. That's language of Colossians 2, having forgiven us all our transgression.
Can you imagine what a Savior? Why go back to the old covenant? He's forgiven my past sins, my present sins, my future sins, high-handed sins, unintentional sins, sins of omission, sins of commission.
No wonder the psalmist said, how blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. That certificate of debt is gone, posted on the placard above Jesus. The fourth word is merciful. You can see it in chapter 2 of Ephesians, can't you?
Hebrews 8, 12 talks about mercy and forgiveness. But since we're in Ephesians, let's just stay there for a minute. Hebrews says, I'll be merciful toward their iniquities. And by the way, I'm so rich in sin, especially as an unbeliever, verse 4 of chapter 2, although I'm rich in sin, God is rich in mercy.
That is amazing to me. After verses 1, 2, and 3 in chapter 2, you'd think he'd hate sinners. He'd love sinners. With this great love with which he loved us, being rich in mercy, that's who this Lord is.
Even when we were dead in our transgressions, he made us alive together with Christ. That's extravagant love. That's lavishing it. That's Ephesians 1, 8, lavishing. The only thing I can think of when it's the Romans 5 language of pouring out this great love upon us.
You ever watch a football game or a baseball game or a soccer game, and towards the end of that great game, you can see the coach kind of looking over his shoulder a little bit because there's going to be some great player come along with a huge thing of what?
Gatorade, and just dump it on top of that guy's head. I mean, it's just extravagant. It's over the top. The riches of his grace. No wonder Wesley's saying, "'Tis mercy all, immense and free, for, O my God, it found out me.".
That's amazing. God would love me. So that leads to word number 5, praiseworthy. Praiseworthy. Go to chapter 1 of Ephesians, praiseworthy. Paul meets Jesus on the Damascus Road. Or maybe I should put it, Jesus meets Paul on the Damascus Road.
Remember, Paul was there when Stephen was going to get killed, and when some think Paul dropped the garments, that was the starting gun. Let the stoning begin. I initiate it. Well, at least he was concurring.
We know that much at least. 20 to 25 years later, Paul writes this book, Ephesians. And how did he act? Here's how Paul acted. Well, I got saved 20 years ago. I used to be really excited. I used to be enthusiastic.
I used to say, praise God, from whom all blessings flow. I used to evangelize everybody. I used to work hard at work. But now I'm more mature now, at 20 years a Christian, and so I'm just reserved, stoic, close to the cuff, and will leave excited Christians and praiseworthy Christians to their first couple years of their Christianity because then they'll get over it and they'll be like me.
This reminds me of Jim Elliott. Remember the book, Shadow of the Almighty? And it says above his journal the age that he was. And I think he was age 15. And he went to a football game and he said, I just see people freaking out with great joy and excitement over football.
And then when I think of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it yawns. It's, oh yeah, we know that. I need something else in my life. But Paul, I mean, out of the starting gate, verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
25 years later, he's blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. I am going to celebrate God with praises. And I'm not saying you have to be all excited on the outside. But at least on the inside, and every once in a while maybe you could send a missionary to your face.
And I'll send one to mine too. The intrinsic character of God and the person of His Son and that fellowship they had before Genesis 1 -1, and the Father then sent the Son to go redeem, the Father loved, the Son loved, the Spirit applied.
Who does this? And what Paul says is, I'm going to speak well of this God. When I saw Chris Bowman in the hospital a couple nights ago, and he looked pretty sick, and I walked in and he said, Good to see you, Pastor Mike.
And we talked a little bit. And then the family came in and I was talking to Chris and I said, You know what I haven't heard you say, Chris? That the Lord isn't any good. That I can't trust the Lord. That He's not sovereign over this right now.
I read Psalm 145, some of it to him, and I said, This is the kind of attitude you have. And he said, Yes. Speaking well of God no matter what. Paul can write letters from prison. He acts the same way.
God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit deserve this kind of praise. No wonder Jesus said, Don't lose your first love to Ephesus. And then finally, number six, the sixth word, as I'm thinking about how great forgiveness is, is model.
M-O-D-E-L. Turn to Ephesians 4, please. The text in Hebrews doesn't say anything about forgiving other people, but it is certainly an implication. It is certainly an application. And it's a direct application for Paul in Ephesians as he's praising the triune God for election, for redemption, for sealing, for bringing Jew and Gentile together, for having him, a Jew, be the apostle to the Gentiles.
He has very much understood that theology matters and that theology should help us in our application. What does Ephesians 4 .32 say? And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other just as God in Christ has also forgiven you.
So I ask the question, is there somebody who sinned against you that you keep remembering, that you will not let go? Remember, when God forgets a sin, it's not like it's taken out of his database. He's not all of a sudden no longer omniscient.
He still knows, but it's been paid for by Jesus, and then he doesn't hold it against us. Is there somebody who's come to you and said, would you please forgive me? And you say, yes, I do, but you still hold it against them.
That's not forgiveness. That's not Ephesians 4. That's the kind of thing that Jesus had to die for because it's so awful. I'm not going to hold it against you anymore. One man said, refusing to forgive is a horrible sin.
Forgiveness reflects the character of God. So ungodly means I don't act like God. God acts one way, I act ungodly, agodly. Well, God acts in a kind way, in a merciful way, in a forgiving way. Shouldn't we be the quickest forgivers, the best forgivers?
When somebody's wronged us and they come to us and they start to say, please for, and you say, I do wholeheartedly. Leon Morris, we can always think of some good reason in any particular case why we need not forgive.
But that is always, Morris said, an error. What did Jesus say as he taught us to pray? Forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors. We've received forgiveness, so we're able to forgive others.
Lloyd-Jones, I say to the glory of God and in utter humility that whenever I see myself before God and realize even something of what my blessed Lord has done for me, I'm ready to forgive anybody, anything.
What does 432 say? Forgiving each other. I know that's hard. I know it's hard to cover sins. By the way, it's an interesting word in Ephesians 432. There's a word for forgiveness that means I'm just going to let it go.
Gone, go away, not the person but the sin, just go away. Transgression, it's just gone, to take away. This word here in 432, forgiving each other, it's an unusual word. It's the word that we have charis in it.
Forgiveness is not just letting go here, it's graciously forgiving, to be gracious to. You're like, you know what? That person has said forgive me so many times but they just keep doing what they always do and then coming back for forgiveness.
This word here means, well, then grace them. Grace them, why wouldn't you grace them? Literally, acting in grace toward one another. Yes, but they don't deserve it. I know, did you? This is the same word used in Romans 8 .32.
He did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all. How will he not also with him freely give us all things? And what's the motive, what's the reason? The text tells you just as. Model after God's love for you in Christ Jesus.
Christian, forgive freely. Christian, forgive fully. Jesus said in Mark 11, and whenever you stand praying, forgive. If you have anything against anyone so that your father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.
I bet we could boil all the marriage problems at Bethlehem Bible Church down to one thing, lack of forgiveness. Say, well, it's hard though. I know. Maybe it was easy, we wouldn't have to be told like this.
Peter went to Jesus and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times? I do not say up to seven times, but up to 70 times seven. For this reason, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.
And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him 10 ,000 talents. 10 million, let's say. That's a good estimation. Somebody owes him $10 million. But since he did not have the means to pay, I guess not, his Lord commanded him to be sold along with his wife and children and all that he had until payment be remade, which will never happen.
The slave, therefore, falling down, prostrated himself before him saying, have patience with me and I will repay you everything. And the Lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave the debt.
But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him 100 denarii, three months wages, and seized him and choked him. Pay me back what you owe. Have patience with me and I'll repay you.
As a slave fell down. He was, however, unwilling, but he went and threw him into prison until he should pay back what he owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their Lord all that had happened.
Summoning him, his Lord said to him, you wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you? And his Lord moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.
And then Jesus ends with, so shall my heavenly Father also do to you if each one of you does not forgive his brother from the heart. Friends, you have a great high priest and all your sins have been paid for by Jesus.
And on that day of judgment, you won't have to answer for one of them because Jesus did. And the only thing written in that book is your name. A, praise God, and B, if somebody has an offense and they have offended you and they ask for forgiveness, why wouldn't you grant it?
Let's pray. I thank you, Father, for your word. There's nobody like Jesus. Thank you for having your Spirit open our eyes so we could just see who He is. We used to think He was just a good teacher or a prophet or maybe a crazy man, but now we get to see He's the great high priest purging sins and even giving us enough resources found in your Spirit that we might forgive other people anything.
I pray for Bethlehem Bible Church, that you would help us with unity, you'd help us to be quick to forgive, you'd help us to reflect that great truth that you've graced us and so we want to grace other people.
And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.