Rev Dr Teresa Chai
It is a pleasure and a privilege to be here. I see your church emphasis is on missions and I want to say that missions is not a programme but it is who we are.
End of this month we will have resurrection Sunday and Easter and we are reminded that we are forgiven, sinners saved by grace and grace alone.
I remembered there was once someone who told me that she was drawn to Christianity because of forgiveness. She was a Buddhist then. I think it is not uncommon for Christians to have questions on forgiveness. It is so different from many other religion.
Forgiveness does not come naturally to us. We tend to want to fight for our rights. It is a tit for tat. Forgiveness is a conscious choice for us. It is not just a feeling. It is not about - do you feel like forgiving or whether you want to forgive but it is an act of the will.
I remember many missionaries that came and I remember this missionary couple that was kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf group. They were kidnapped for a whole year and Mark Burnham died just before they were rescued. The wife said she forgave them.
Forgiveness is a choice, not an emotional state.
Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
We are always reminded that we were first forgiven, regardless of what we have or have not done in the past. And we are to extend this same forgiveness to others.
If you keep unforgiveness in our heart, it will eat you up. I remember my mother had unforgiveness for her sister and even though I told her to forgive she did not even until her death. It is sad and it eats you up.
Many times we have to forgive by faith. When we say to live by faith, we often think about money, especially in bible school like Linken now. But when we say we forgive by faith, the work of forgiveness is there and we trust that God will complete the work within us and the other person.
He will complete the work in His time. It is not instant and forgiveness takes time because often the hurt is not just on the surface. It is deep set.
When I was called to the ministry, one of the things God dealt with me was to forgive a teacher. I spent much time with one teacher but when I became a believer, she changed and hated me and I could not understand why. And I was just as angry and thought of cutting the relationship myself. But God dealt with me to forgive her or I will start my ministry on the wrong foot.
I heard that she was not well, so I went to the hospital to see her. I was a little apprehensive as the family knows me and I didn't know what kind of reception I would get. I walked in to the open ward and her family member was there and when they saw me all were silent. I didn't know what her reaction would be but I sensed as I walk towards her, the love of God filled me. And we didn't have to say any word and all we did was we hugged each other genuinely. I could see the forgiveness was there. And I knew my own heart was free.
Philippians 1:6
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
This talks about our whole faith but it also talk about the process of forgiveness. I like this quote by Corrie Ten Boom. "Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you". One of the testimonies she said was that the Nazis physically, mentally and verbally abused them. And there was this time when they had lice on their hair and the Nazis avoided them which allowed them time with God. She learned to forgive them and this freed her.
We know that the work of forgiveness is complete when we enjoy the freedom of the result. It can even be physical, if you have not released a forgiveness that you should it can cause physical sickness.
Forgiveness is a very slow process.
Matthew 18:21-22
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy- seven times.
Peter asked this of Jesus, the smart alec, I call him. He knew the answer as a Jew but Jesus told him you don't stop forgiving.
There are people in our lives who constantly hurt us and often they are close to us and Jesus says there is no limit to forgiveness. This is especially true if you have a drug addict in the family and they often betray your trust. But God can changed them and we have to exercise forgiveness.
It may require a lifetime but it is important to the Lord that we have to continue to forgive.
What if the person is a non believer? I believe prayer is the answer. When we come to the Lord in prayer, the wall will come down. God will give us new eyes to see the person and sees them as God see them, precious in His sight. If God does not recall His forgiveness to us, why should we deny forgiveness for others?
We must have in our mind that we are forgiven. Like Jesus who went to the home of Simon the tax collector, and the women who wiped Jesus' feet with her tears and hair and the host could not take it. But this women experienced the forgiveness of Jesus unlike the host who did not.
Even when Jesus was on the cross, Jesus said "Father forgive them", while he was being tortured. We have this example from Jesus. It is natural to feel wronged sometimes but this goes beyond the natural as we are not the ones to correct the injustice. God is our defender. Even if someone has wronged us, you must know that God is your vindicator.
When I was in Bangladesh, I experienced this. There were people who wanted me killed. I am not exaggerating. They said many bad things to get me out of the country and to get rid of me. But I just stood my ground and God began to exposed them. I didn't even pray against them like in the Psalms but God did the work.
Luke 6:37
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Forgiveness goes both ways. The Americans says what goes around comes around. Jesus commanded us to forgive. The bible says if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven.
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
We must be reminded if this.
There is this Eskimo phrase, I have met one so far. The Eskimos have no word for forgiveness when they were trying to translate the bible. The missionary had to string words together to mean forgiveness and it says "not being able to think about it any more" and this describes forgiveness.
Jeremiah 31:34 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
We forgive out of obedience to God. It is a choice. It is a decision that we make. It is a commandment for our own good and it gives us a freedom for our own heart and spirit.
We need to extend forgiveness to fallen leaders. Many are devastated and fall or leave the faith because of leaders that fell. We have to forgive them because they are humans like us. That is why we must not put anyone, even your pastor on a pedestal. As all can fall. Humans have hidden sins, failures and shortcomings. A leader's sin is no worse than our own.
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness
Let me summarize as we end this message. I hope and pray that God has been ministering as I am speaking to you.
What motivates us to forgive?
1. Obey God
2. So that our prayers can be answered
3. To be free from the baggage of bitterness and unforgiveness
I have a short video on forgiveness of a son to his father that I would like to share with you. Allow it to minister to you.
"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."
- Mary Karen Read (Quoted from her final journal entry prior to being killed in the Virginia Tech shooting)
Notes from Power Point Presentation
- Conscious Choice or an Emotional State? - Decision of our will, motivated by obedience to God and His command to forgive
- Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another, forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13
- The Will of Forgiveness - How do we forgive when we don't feel like it? How do we translate the decision to forgive into a change of heart?
- Forgive by Faith - God honours our commitment to obey Him and our desire to please Him when we choose to forgive.
- Persevere in Forgiving - A choice. - We must continue to forgive (our job), by faith, until the work of forgiveness (the Lord's job), is done in our hearts.
- And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6
- Have We Truly Forgiven? - Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian woman who survived a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust, said, "Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you."
- Free Indeed! - When we do forgive, the Lord sets our hearts free from the anger, bitterness, and hurt that previously imprisoned us.
- Slowly But Surely... - Forgiveness is a slow process.
- What if the person we need to forgive is not a believer? - We can pray for God to deal with the injustice, for God to judge the person's life, and then we can leave that prayer at the altar. We no longer have to carry the anger.
- Jesus Forgave - "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."
- JSSU-MAGIJOU-JUNG-NAINER-MIK - In the Eskimo language, the strange new word meant: "not being able to think about it any more." I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" Jeremiah 31:34
- Extend Forgiveness to Fallen leaders - A leader's sin is no worse than my own. The blood of Christ covers and cleanses it all.
- Resaon to Forgive - To obey God, so that our prayers can be answered and to be free from the baggage of bitterness and unforgiveness.
- Do you need to forgive someone today? - Be obedient to the Lord and forgive even as He has forgiven you.
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