Help thanks wow…IM SORRY February 18, 2018

Romans 5: 6 -11, 1 John 1: 8 - 10

Help thanks wow…IM SORRY

February 18, 2018

We have been talking about four essential prayers.

In her book Ann Lamot lists three. Do you remember what they are? (Without looking at your bulletin?)

·        Help

·        Thanks

·        Wow

Ann stops at three, but I want to add a fourth.  I’M SORRY.

We have known each other long enough know that none of us is perfect. You aren’t perfect and I certainly am not perfect.  I John says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)

Scripture is very clear that no one is sinless.

In  Romans 3:10 Paul  quotes Psalm 14 and Ecclesiastes 7 when he writes,

There’s nobody living right, not even one,
    nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God.
They’ve all taken the wrong turn;
    they’ve all wandered down blind alleys.
No one’s living right;
    I can’t find a single one. (Message Bible)

Not a single one… not you and certainly not me. Paul is so clear that he could have named us by name and it would not have been any clearer.  

And there is the famous passage from that same chapter… if you’ll turn in your bibles Romans 3:23, you’ll find that on page 154 of the New Testament.  Somebody read that. Romans 3:23.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

All, everyone, no exceptions, you can’t squeak through, I can’t get by.  There is no one who is sinless but Jesus himself.

Sin hurts God.  It break’s God’s heart to see us not living up to the image in which he created us. 

I don’t know about you, but my mom taught me that if I hurt someone, even by accident, I have to say “I’m sorry.”

And when we do that, the expected answer is “That’s alright, just don’t do it again,” or “I forgive you.” Even though we deserve to sit in the corner or lose the friendship or some consequences, saying I’m sorry carry’s enough weight that often the person bypasses the punishment and forgives us for our minor infraction.

That’s the way it works among people. Saying “I’m sorry” is common courtesy. So it is not a very big leap to understand that since we all sin, we all hurt God. If we have broken God’s heart, stepped on God’s toes, offended God’s ears, or in any way wronged God “I’m sorry” is also an essential prayer.

The good news is that God is a God of grace.

“Grace is a deliberate decision to give something good to someone who doesn't deserve it”   Our faith is empty if God is not a God of grace. It has been said that grace is forgiveness with a hug. Grace is forgiveness with a second chance (or third or fourth.) Grace is forgiveness with power of the Holy Spirit to do better next time.

Today’s’ passages were chosen to remind us that forgiveness is only available because God is a God of grace. Let’s look at Romans. Just on the other side of the page where we just looked, Romans 5:6

⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. ⁸ But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

Did you get that? While we were still sinners. Even though we were sinners. In spite of the fact that that we disobey and hurt God over and over. In spite of the fact justice cried out for our sins to be punished.  In spite of the fact that we may have never even said “I am sorry,” Christ died for us.  Paul continues

 ⁹ Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God.   So more than forgiven we are being saved… adopted as God’s children and promised eternity with him.

 ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies,

Listen to that…while we were enemies… in spite of the fact that by our sin we were at war with God’s divine justice. Sin not only damages our relationship with God, it puts us in direct conflict with God’s goodness, and in fact makes us enemies as if we had joined sin in a war against God.

 We were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. ¹¹ But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

In other words, God’s grace in Jesus Christ overcame that hostility. Overcame that brokenness, Overcame that strife.

God’s forgiveness is not an easy “Oh don’t worry about it” kind of forgiveness… God reached over the enemy line to grab us by the collar and embrace us as beloved children.  In Jesus Christ, God snatched us from the jaws of sin and death to bring us back to reconcile us to himself.  In other words to bring us into right relationship with God.

I recently became aware of a book called MURDER BY FAMILY, in which incredibly, Kent Whitaker chronicles the murder of his wife and son. He and the other son (Bart) were wounded. At first is it was believed to be a robbery gone badly. Soon the story started looking suspicious to investigators and before long they arrested the son, Bart Whittaker, for hiring a hit man to kill his entire family including his father, the author Kent.

To make a long story short, the father has stood by the son the whole way. Somehow beyond my comprehension he has forgiven his son, testified in his defense,  pleaded for lenience at this sentencing,  visits him on death row, is helping with his appeals, and if it comes down to it, Kent will be with his son to the end in the execution chamber.

In MURDER BY FAMILY Kent details the whole story including a letter he wrote to Bart that ends with, "My son, I love you. All is forgiven."

UNBELIEVABLE isn’t it!  But that is Grace. Grace is unbelievable.

That is exactly what God says to us, "My son/my daughter, I love you. All is forgiven."

Grace is who God is. God wants more than anything to be graceful to us. The best gift God could receive is seeing one of his prodigal children come running up the lane with big tears in his or her eyes to say I’m sorry and fall in God’s arms for a great big hug.

Of course there is no big lane up which we can run, but God has provided a way.

If you will turn in your bibles to 1 John which you will find in the New Testament page 239. You will find our second scripture,  read verse 9 with me-- either from the Bible or the screen--  let’s read, “IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS, HE WHO IS FAITHFUL AND JUST WILL FORGIVE US OUR SINS AND CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. “

Do you hear it? “IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS, --pray I’m sorry

HE WHO IS FAITHFUL AND JUST -- that’s our wonderful God of grace

WILL FORGIVE US OUR SINS -- forgive our sins!!Unbelievable.

AND CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. “Give us a fresh start.

That is the power of the essential prayer “I’M SORRY”

So let’s pray together. …….

.

AMEN(From the upper room Worship book  p 23)

This is where I would normally pronounce words of assurance of God’s forgiveness and grace, but not today.  I want you to take a minute to listen to God, feel God’s arms embracing you.  Then take the page you were given with the picture of the church on it.  Fold it along the dotted lines (doesn’t matter which one is first) and inside write yourself a forgiveness letter from God. What would God say to you? What would God say to reassure you?  What would God say about your next steps? Maybe that includes apologizing to a person you hurt and making amends.  Maybe not. What would God say?  Take your time and write your letter of forgiveness from God.

(5 min…)

Now stand, take your letter and repeat after me.

I am a forgiven person.

 Thanks be to God.

 I hope you found that helpful.  Part of my idea in this project for the Academy of Spiritual growth was to integrate a retreat like experience in worship as a way of inviting those of you who might have never tried a retreat, to try it after worship today. We will continue to talk about forgiveness, forgiving ourselves and forgiving God. Nancy will have lunch ready for you.  We will be done about 3pm.