FORGIVENESS: A WAY OF WORSHIPPING GOD IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

FORGIVENESS: A WAY OF WORSHIPPING GOD IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

By Elder Emmanuel Danquah 
on Sunday 25^th August 2013

TEXT:     YOU HAVE HEARD THAT IT WAS SAID, “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AND HATE YOUR ENEMY. BUT I TELL YOU: LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU, THAT YOU MAY BE SONS OF YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. (Matthew 5: 43 – 45)

As Christians, there are things that we fail to do that hinder our blessings and, if we are not careful, some of these omissions can prevent us from going to heaven. One of these things that I will talk about is FORGIVENESS.

The text above tells us to love our enemies, bless and pray for those who curse us and through this we will become true children of God because he makes sure his sun shines on all  good and bad and also, shower his blessings on all the good and bad without discrimination.

The following scenarios make it difficult for Christians to forgive their fellow friends and  are listed below:

• A Christian who’s Parents did not take care of (rejecting him/ her from infancy as a result of divorce or single parenthood) and now living good but parent living in poverty. It makes it difficult for him or her to forgive his or her parent
• Two people preparing to be joined in Holy Matrimony and all of a sudden, the other fellow decides not to get married again it also makes it difficult for the one disappointed to forgive due to the fact that the fellow has wasted his time for long and after, decides to got to the one getting married to destroy it.
• Giving false testimony about a statement that has not been made makes it difficult for the one offended to forgive his fellow.
•  Friends revealing secret between them to third parties (Eg.  A husband having a problem in his system but trust his wife so much that he doesn’t expect anyone to know of it but the wife reveals this secret to her friend, makes it difficult for the husband to forgive her wife)  or vise versa.
• A friend helping one to be employed in an establishment but all of a sudden, gossips for the other to be sacked.
• Helping someone to secure a loan from a micro finance company and the one who was helped decides not to pay for the money and aside that speculating falsely about the friend or a friend who is in need of a place to stay and after helping him to secure a place, goes behind the person to say bad things about him.
•  Between married couples, if one of them sins against his friend by remembering their first love promises and refuses to forgive, goes a long way to affect them and their children.
• A friend knowing well he is directing his friend on the wrong path. This will go a long way to affect the friend who doesn’t know. Example is one convincing his friend to get married to a bad lady or a bad man. In business also which one knows will bring problems, also buying a land that has already been sold to a friend etc.

In all that we have said and those that had not been listed, we must be able to forgive and love those people.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.(Romans 5:8)

Peter the disciple went to Jesus and asked “Lord how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times ?  But Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven”. (Matthew 18:21-22). This scripture even tells us not to be weary in forgiving people their sins. If a friend sins against you, as many times you can forgive him or her without counting. And through this people around you will know you are a Christian who worships God in Spirit and in truth.

The Good news that he preached, miracles performed, and the good things that Christ did on this earth; he was paid with sin and crucified on the cross. But in all these, Christ had mercy on us and forgave us our sins. In Luke 23: 34 Jesus pleaded for the sins of the Roman soldiers by saying “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing”.

 In Acts 7:54-60, When Stephen was being stoned to death, he looked up to heaven and saw the glory of the Lord and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, he said to them “ Look I see heaven open and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God ”. He cried out by pleading for the forgiveness of their sins by saying “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” after, he fell asleep and died.

If we are worshipping God in spirit and in truth, any other sins that our friends may commit against us  by hurting us, we are to forgive them because it is through this that we become sons and daughters of God.

Just as through Jesus death, God forgave us our sins we also are supposed to forgive our friends no matter how big that sin is so that our worship will please God. Amen!!