The Forgiveness Project

It was a really cool afternoon yesterday. Cold too. David and I went to the Missouri River. We took the rocks from last Sunday's worship experiences and threw them into the giant mass of water.

A few people stopped and asked us what we were doing. The runners looked over at our big pile of rocks and tried to be quiet when we were filming. 

We prayed over all the rocks. Envy and anger were probably the most common sins. Some said "God knows". Which He does. Names were on some rocks. I sensed some serious hurts were attached to these stones. 

We also experienced some serious forgiveness. The sore arms and cold cheeks were worth it. 

Forgiveness

The young woman is starting her last year of college. She is going to make the most of it. She has her tickets for the home football games. Her and her friends have a spring break trip planned to Florida. She and her three roommates went out tonight. They had so much fun. Her first class is at 8:00 tomorrow morning. It’s 2:15 in the morning. She can’t sleep.

Sunrise over Lake Zorinsky this morning. It's a new day. Yesterday is gone.

On the other side of the city is a man. 2:15 in the morning is a time he is all too familiar with. He steps out on the front porch for some fresh air. The air is cool, but heavy. The only sounds are the locusts and a delivery truck making the rounds a few blocks away. His wife is sleeping. He walks back inside and looks at an old family picture. His heart turns heavier than the humid Nebraska air.

Heavy is the way the young woman would describe her heart. Her parents were divorced when she was very young. It was okay. She had a good relationship with each parent and they even seemed to get along with each other. Then one day, her mom started dating a man. They eventually got married. The young woman acted happy for her mom, but it was an act. As an eleven year old, she sensed the man was trouble. And she was right. The man was verbally abusive to the mom and then to her. He moved out a week after her graduation. She wishes he had never moved in. He left a path of devastation: shattered dreams, emotional scars, and seven wasted years. The man lives in Louisiana now and has moved on, but it’s 2:15 and the girl isn’t sleeping. 

The man puts the picture down. A tear flows down his cheek. He sees his 16 year-old boy with a big smile on his face. The boy is 35 now. He has a couple kids of his own. The man hasn’t seen any of them for about five years. Well, he actually has watched a few soccer games from afar. He would give anything to give that granddaughter a hug after she scored that goal. He wouldn’t mind giving his son a hug either—just like the old days—but that isn’t going to happen. A fight over money took place and the two stubborn men haven’t spoken since.

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. –Ephesians 4:32

As the deer pants for streams of water, my soul longs for You, O God. -Psalm 42:1
Forgiveness is God's idea. And it's a good idea.

The young woman and the man live in the same city and a different world, but they desperately need the same thing: forgiveness. Not for the sake of the offending party, but for their sake. Forgiveness, at its core, is an act of self-interest. Not forgiving allows the offending party to continue to hurt the offended. Forgiving allows the heart to heal. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting or letting off the hook. Forgiving means to letting go of the past and its pesky travelling companions: anger, anxiety, and bitterness. Forgiveness is God’s idea for God’s children. And it’s a choice God gives us: we can remember and resent or we can forgive and live. 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig

Vlog: Burying the Past and Managing Time

Summer Vacation: Losing Your Baggage

Vacation Bible School, 50 Days of Prayer, and Losing Your Baggage

Sunday's column...today.

It’s Sunday, July 21st. Today is a big day at The Water’s Edge! A really big day!

Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me. –Mark 9:37 

Tonight is the beginning of three days of fun, friends, family, and faith. It’s Vacation Bible School! At press time on Wednesday afternoon, we had over 160 kids registered. We expect lots more registrations. As long as the child is between the ages 4 and middle school – he or she is welcome. We can always use volunteers as too! You can register on Sunday morning at Millard West or on Sunday evening at Russell Middle School. Vacation Bible School runs from 6:15 to 8:30 Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings.

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. –Colossians 4:2 

Today also marks the beginning of our 50 Days of Prayer campaign. We mailed the booklets in the middle of the week and will be passing them out in worship this morning and at Vacation Bible School tonight. And you will also have access to it wherever you are - online. 

We will have individual time with God. We’ll pray for our church. And we’ll pray for our city and world. Couples and friends and families will be encouraged to pray together. You will read a short Scripture and have a thought or two to ponder each day. I believe this is one of the most important things we will do as a church in 2013. I also believe these 50 days can be a real spiritual breakthrough for individuals and will help families begin praying together and talking about some of life’s most important and essential issues. 

I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. –Philippians 3:13

One of the things I’ve been praying a lot about is our worship experiences this morning. We continue our sermon series Summer Vacation. The message is Losing Your Baggage. As people we unnecessary hold on to life’s baggage and are burdened with our past. My prayer is that, this morning, we lose the baggage that is holding us back and get past our past. God wants us to trade our baggage in for something else. 

• Our failures and our fears will become faith, forgiveness, and freedom. 
• Our brokenness and our boredom will become belief, blessings, and bravery. 

Serving and loving kids, praying and depending on God, and putting our past in the past…I really do believe the best is yet to come… 

Craig

Vlog: 50 Days of Prayer, Losing Your Baggage, and Vacation Bible School

Things Graduates (and other adults) Can Learn from Kindergarteners

This morning I helped walk about sixty kindergarteners from Willowdale Elementary to a park on the north side of Lake Zorinsky. It is one of those parks with colorful, plastic equipment and ground that is covered with the fine sand. The sky was blue. A cool breeze softened the warm sun. The kids were excited. The teachers were relieved to be out of the classroom.

David ordering Mac and Cheese with a side of Mac and Cheese

I know many of the children. They don’t call me Craig or pastor or Pastor Craig. I’m simply David’s dad—which is quite a splendid title. I have lunch with them occasionally. They like sitting next to the guy who gives out French fries. Many of them like to come up to me after school and give me a report on David’s day. I get more information, and better information, out of them than I do from David. They are an energetic group of adrenaline junkies who have cost the tooth fairy a lot of money this year. They are more covered in more optimism than they are in sunscreen and they are drenched in sunscreen. Theirs is a life of freedom—void of attachments.

Fast-forward twelve years. The innocent girls will be young women. The boys will care more about pecking order than they do French fries. The young adults will spend the morning getting fitted for a graduation robe and pass on the playing in the park. They won’t worry about what they are having for lunch. Their anxiety will be about where they are going to college, summer jobs, money, and saying goodbye to friends they have had for the last thirteen years.

In a dozen years, I’ll see some of the other parents at the grocery store or in church. I already know the conversation we’ll be having: “Do you remember the morning we walked the kids down to the park? Can you believe that was twelve years ago?” Life goes on at a predictable and relentless pace. I hang out with children a lot – mine and others. We adults can learn a lot from them, you know, especially the little ones.

• Explore and ask lots of questions. Learning is the beginning of living.
• Forgive quickly. Life is too short to bear grudges and carry resentment.
• Don’t worry about tomorrow. It steals joy and abundance from today.
• Embrace play. It makes life more sustainable and more pleasurable.
• Don’t beat yourself up over past mistakes. Learn from them and move on.
• Dream big. The size of your life will not exceed the size of your dreams.
• Love unconditionally. Don’t worry about skin color, social background, gender, or age. Just do your best to love like God loves.

 The best is yet to come…

Craig

Forgiveness Prayer

12 Ways to Have a Miserable 2012

1. Don’t plan. Just roll with the punches. Be reactive and not proactive. Don’t make a list of things you want to get done, places you want to go, people you want to connect with, and goals you want to accomplish. Just remember, when you fail to plan then you are planning to fail. 

2. Do as much as you can by yourself. Don’t enlist the help of others. Don’t seek the advice of others. Misery loves company, but it most likely happens alone.

3. Neglect your most important relationships. Seek intimacy in inappropriate ways. Don’t trust others. Be afraid of being hurt. Gossip about others to feel good about yourself. Talk more and listen less. Demand your own way. Nitpick. Demand others be who you want them to be rather than their true selves. Believe kindness is overrated. Don’t be patient with others. Demand perfection. Carry grudges and don’t forgive others. Make others pay for their mistakes. 

4. Stay busy. Don’t schedule downtime. Stay plugged into technology at all times. Be connected a little bit to everything and everybody so that you aren’t really connected to anything or anybody. Say “yes” to so many average things so that you don’t have the time or energy to say “yes” to the best things. 

5. Don’t deal with your past. Carry all burdens of your past mistakes. Realize it’s not likely you are going to change. Don’t forgive yourself. Let your history define your future. 

6. Don’t take any risks. Be afraid of falling. Be afraid of failing. Play it safe. Don’t explore. Don’t chase dreams. Don’t be vulnerable or authentic with others: the chance of being hurt a little bit far outweighs the benefit of loving someone and being loved by someone. 

7. Quit when times get tough. Throw in the towel the first time you take a punch to the stomach. Raise the white flag when the battle is not going your way. Accept the easy life and don’t strive for the good life. 

8. Place a lot of stock in what other people think about you. Try to impress others. Base your self-worth on what you think others perceive about you. 

9. Don’t give anything to anybody. Hoard your holdings. Stockpile your savings. You have earned what you have. Keep it. Be stingy with your time and energy too. Believe you can get far greater blessings in life doing what you want to do rather than helping a child or a hurting person.

10. Don’t worry about your character and integrity. Let things slide. Take a few shortcuts if it’s what you need to do. Cover up your shortcomings with image management. Do the easy thing and not the right thing. Don’t care who you are when nobody is looking. 

11. Let yourself go physically. Eat whatever. Stop exercising. Get stressed out. Don’t sleep much. 

12. Don’t focus too much on your relationship with God. You will have plenty of time to do that in the future. 

The worst is yet to come… 

Craig

Sun Stand Still

On Sunday, October 23rd, we are starting a new sermon series at The Water's Edge: Sun Stand Still. I invite you to join us!

It never happened before. It hasn’t happened since. Apologists use science and history to prove it. Skeptics say it’s silly. Some scholars argue it’s a metaphor with incredible meaning. It was the day the sun stood still.

Moses led his people to Mount Pisgah. He could see the land promised to his ancestors: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But he could take them no further. His tired muscles and broken bones died on the mountain looking at the finish line of a race he had been running for forty years. He smelled, tasted, and saw victory. But he never experienced it.

Moses was a tough act to follow. Andrew Johnson, Roger Moore, Frank Solich all know what it must have been like for Joshua. One followed Abraham Lincoln as President; one followed Sean Connery as James Bond; and one followed Tom Osborne as football coach. All of them were more than capable. But none of them could be the one thing they were expected to be: their predecessor. The only thing Joshua had going for him was God selected him. And that was more than enough.

Joshua was unsure of himself. Even if he could lead the people across the river to the land flowing with milk and honey, the current residents weren’t going to give up their landlord status and become tenants without a fight. Joshua had just finished an ultramarathon and he had five mixed martial arts fighters standing in line waiting for a piece of him. God sounded like a broken record when told Joshua to be strong and courageous. And Joshua listened. Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel.

He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. –Joshua 10:12-13

It was a day that changed Joshua’s world. Joshua’s back was against the wall. Hope was a mere flicker of light through a dense fog in a distance. He had come so far but had so far to go. But then he remembered the words of God: be strong and courageous. He prayed a prayer the size of his faith. A prayer that only God could answer: “Let the sun stand still.” And the minute he spoke those words the sun stopped dead in its tracks. The enemy didn’t have a chance. 

And it was a day that can your world as well. Our mistakes become regrets. The debris of life gathers like rainwater in a puddle. We have hurt others and ourselves. Or maybe we are tired of average or adequate and our dreams are bigger than are available resources. It’s time to pray a prayer that only God can answer. A prayer like Joshua’s. Sun stand still. Save me I’m lost. Get me out of this mess. Help me forgive. Use me to change lives. Make my dreams come true. 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig

Forgiving Others

Listen to this morning's message.

What forgiveness is not 

1. Forgiveness is NOT Forgetting 

It’s kind of like this: You have done something unspeakable to me. By all rights I should call it quits between us. My pride and my principles demand no less. I probably can’t forgot what has been done and will most likely carry scars for life, but I refuse to let the past stand between us and still want you as a friend. 

2. Forgiveness is NOT an Act of Weakness 

The weak have a tough time forgiving. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

3. Forgiveness is NOT Permission to Continue Self-Destructive Behavior 

That is called enabling. Quite a bit different than forgiveness. 

4. Forgiveness is NOT Conditional 

Sincere forgiveness isn't colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change. That would be call for-earn-ness and not for-give-ness. 

5. Forgiveness is NOT necessarily a fully restored relationship 

Sometimes it’s best and sometimes it’s only possible to forgive from a distance. Sometimes forgiveness says I’m going to try to be your friend again and sometimes forgiveness has to say goodbye. 

6. Forgiveness is NOT usually a single event. 

Forgiveness is usually a process. It is usually not a switch. It is usually a journey. It takes time. The deeper the offense; the longer the journey. 

7. Forgiveness is NOT primarily for the other party. 

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and the prisoner is usually you. We can either forgive or relive. 

Types of hurt 

1. Unintentional – misunderstanding - busyness 

2. Intentional – betrayal 

What I pray is for us to learn, embrace, and practice the biblical model of forgiveness so that we can deal with others the way God deals with us. 

What is impossible by humans is possible with God. If there is unforgiveness exists in our lives – that God – through the power of the Holy Spirit will work in our lives to make the impossible happen and we can forgive those who have hurt us. 

Why forgive? 

1. Unforgiveness continues to hurt the person who was hurt. In other words…unforgiveness hurts us. 

Revenge, anger, getting even -- they all seem like a good idea at the time. Until we realize the pain directed at the person who hurt us is like a boomerang: the animosity and hostility returns to us and smacks us on the head. Unless you like being bitter and resentful...try forgiveness. It's God gift to you. 

Hebrews 12:15 (NIV) 

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 

Unforgiveness is a bitter root. 

We live with a bitter root. 

We may or even may not be aware of the presence of the bitter root. 

And the bitter root defiles. It causes trouble. It contaminates. 

Love keeps no record of wrongs. 

Bitterness keeps detailed records of wrongs. 

Unforgiveness is a cancer to the soul. 

It eats away at us. 

It hurts our relationship with others. 

It hurts our relationship with God. 

It prevents us from becoming the self that God wants us to become.

Unforgiveness is like squeezing broken glass. It hurts us. 

Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping it kills the other person. -Anne LaMott 

2. Because I’ll need forgiveness again. 

Matthew 6:14-15 

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 18:32-35 

Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.

God’s grace and forgiveness is not conditional on our forgiveness of others. God is talking about something a little different. 

The pride that prevents us from forgiving others is a twin sibling to the pride keeps us from accepting God’s forgiveness. And may God help us do something about it. 

The forgiving becomes the forgiven 

The forgiving doesn’t let hurts from the past to destroy the future. 

How in the heck do I do this? I don’t know how. 

1. Pray for those who hurt you. 

Pray the way Jesus prayed when creation turned on the creator. As Jesus was dying on the cross – as people were hurting and humiliating him – he prayed: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” 

Jesus taught clearly in Matthew 5:43-45 

You have heard the law that says, "Love your neighbor" and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.

Some of you are thinking I don’t want to pray for this person. I don’t feel like it.

We all need to understand this: 

Right action leads to trigger right feelings. 

Right actions to come first. 

If you wait for the desire…you will be waiting for a long time. 

But, if we start praying, right feelings will follow right actions. 

My prayers for others may or may not change other people…but my prayers for others always, without exception, change me and my reaction to the other person. 

Start small 

Know it may be painful 

2. Then forgive as you have been forgiven. 

We forgive the same way God has forgiven us. 

Completely 

Constantly 

Colossians 3:13 

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 

Forgive as you have been forgiven.

Forgiveness

The young woman is starting her last year of college. She is going to make the most of it. She has her tickets for the home football games. Her and her friends have a spring break trip planned to Florida. She and her three roommates went out tonight. They had so much fun. Her first class is at 8:00 tomorrow morning. It’s 2:15 in the morning. She can’t sleep. 

On the other side of the city is a man. 2:15 in the morning is a time he is all too familiar with. He steps out on the front porch for some fresh air. The air is cool, but heavy. The only sounds are the locusts and a delivery truck making the rounds a few blocks away. His wife is sleeping. He walks back inside and looks at an old family picture. His heart turns heavier than the humid Nebraska air.

Heavy is the way the young woman would describe her heart. Her parents were divorced when she was very young. It worked okay. She had a good relationship with each parent and they even seemed to get along with each other. Then one day, her mom started dating a man. They eventually got married. The young woman acted happy for her mom, but it was an act. As an eleven year old, she sensed the man was trouble. And she was right. The man was verbally abusive to the mom and then to her. He moved out a week after her graduation. She wishes he had never moved in. He left a path of devastation: shattered dreams, emotional scars, and seven wasted years. The man lives in Louisiana now and has moved on, but it’s 2:15 and the girl isn’t sleeping. 

The man puts the picture down. A tear flows down his cheek. He sees his 20 year-old boy with a big smile on his face. The boy is 35 now. He has a couple kids of his own. The man hasn’t seen any of them for about five years. Well, he actually has watched a few soccer games from afar. He would give anything to give that granddaughter a hug after she scored that goal. He wouldn’t mind giving his son a hug either—just like the old days—but that isn’t going to happen. A fight over money took place and the two stubborn men haven’t spoken since.

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. –Ephesians 4:32 

The young woman and the man live in the same city and a different world, but they desperately need the same thing: to forgive. Not for the sake of the offending party, but for their sake. Forgiveness, at its core, is an act of self-interest. Not forgiving allows the offending party to continue to hurt. Forgiving allows the heart to heal. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting or letting off the hook. Forgiving means to letting go of the past and its pesky travelling companions: anger, anxiety, and bitterness. Forgiveness is God’s idea for God’s children. And it’s a choice God gives us: we can remember and resent or we can forgive and live. 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig

Getting Past Your Past

The forty-something year old man sits at his desk. He stares at the spreadsheet on his computer. The numbers he is crunching don’t look much different than they looked yesterday. He and his wife get along. Some of the passion from early in the relationship seems to be missing, but it could be worse. The kids are great, but they are growing up so fast. Life is usually busy, sometimes stressful, and passes by like an hourglass stuck to a table. Meanwhile, he is staring at a spreadsheet on his computer.

The woman in her mid twenties is walking around the lake. Her iPod blasts country music. She politely smiles at the people riding their bikes, pushing their jogging strollers, and walking their dogs. Her smile is more a surface smile. Inside she isn’t all that happy. She works in marketing and loves her job. She enjoys hanging out with her friends. Those things aren’t the problem. She walks faster, turns the music up louder, and keeps cranking out those smiles. 

As the man stares at his computer, he goes back a decade or so to a time in his life when he was addicted to alcohol. With deep regret he remembers the days and nights he wasn’t home with his wife and kids. Even if he was home, he still has a lot to regret. He beats himself up over the night he was arrested for driving with too much liquor in his system. He wishes he could have found a more constructive way to deal with stress than a short-term reprieve of a few shots of whiskey and lots of beer. He is clean now and has been for some time, but the past has a tight stranglehold on him and the opponent’s grip is not getting any looser. He keeps staring at that spreadsheet. 

As the woman continues around the lake she looks at her index finger on her left hand. It is empty. A ring was on the finger for ten months—about five years ago. It was shiny and beautiful. It represented faith, hope, and love. She was engaged. Life was perfect. The wedding date was set. Then one day, he told her they needed to postpone the wedding. He had some excuse about this being a really busy year with his job. She believed him and supported him. A few months later he broke it off and broke her heart. To make things worse, a year later he married another woman. They say time heals all wounds. It’s been five years and she ain’t there yet. 

The man’s office and the woman’s lake are less than a mile apart. He is 45 and she is 25. Their lives are much different, but the issue they need to deal with is the same: getting past their past. They, and pretty much everybody else they know, need to heal from pain inflicted by others and by self. Things like forgiveness, getting over our failures, and not letting others define us are the first and most important steps to contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction and joy.

The past: we can’t change a darn thing about it. We can learn from it: the good, the bad, and ugly. And, somehow, we have to put it behind us. Doing things such as this sure beats the alternative. 

I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. –Philippians 3:13 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig

You Will Be With Me in Paradise - Audio

Listen to this morning's sermon - You Will Be With Me in Paradise. It was Palm Sunday at The Water’s Edge. I concluded our series on the last words of Jesus as we looked at the words Jesus spoke to the second criminal: “You will be with me in paradise.” This passage describes the two thieves who were crucified on both sides of Jesus. One insulted Jesus while the other called out to Jesus and trusted Him. The one who trusted was forgiven by Jesus and was given assurance of a place in heaven. We learned a central theme of Christianity: Good people don’t go to heaven...forgiven people go to heaven.

You have seen the three crosses. One is Jesus. The cross on right and left were criminals. We don’t know who they were, where they were from, how old they were, and what they did to deserve death.

We do know both interacted with Jesus. 

One insulted Jesus - So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!

One honored Jesus. This changed his eternity and could change your eternity as well. He said: This man hasn’t done anything wrong. Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.

He realized who he was and who Jesus was. 

And then Jesus spoke words of grace. I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.

When we compare ourselves to others:

1. We feel better about ourselves.

2. We feel worse about ourselves.

Luke 23

32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

Crucifixion was one of many forms of execution used. It was for the worse of the worst.

1. Publically humiliate

2. Excruciating painful

It was a bold statement that Jesus was on a cross. To be on the cross means the criminals were bad.

Luke 23

39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? , but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” 43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

This story illustrates a central theme of Christianity and corrects a myth of civil religion:

Myth – Good people go to heaven

Gospel - Good people do not necessarily go to heaven, forgiven people go to heaven

The Bible says God alone is good. -Mark 10:18

It’s not about our failings…it’s about God’s faithfulness.

Lessons from the criminals

1. The forgiven one admits wrong

We deserve to die for our crimes. -Luke 23:41

We don’t want to admit to doing anything wrong, but we all have sinned.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. -Romans 3:23

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. –James 2:10

2. The forgiven person asks for eternal help.

The insulting criminal is only interested in what God can do for him now. 

The forgiven criminal isn’t thinking short-term. He is thinking eternally. Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.

We can leave this place a sinner. Or we can leave as forgiven. We become justified, saved, holy – not because of our righteousness, but because of his righteousness. 

Romans 3:20-22

20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. 21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For we are saved by grace through faith. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done.

Good people don’t go to heaven. Forgiven people go to heaven.

You are not a cheater. You are chosen.

You are not hopeless. You are holy.

You are not a liar. You are loved.

You are not forgotten or forsaken. You are forgiven.

When the criminal could do nothing to make things right, he said, “Jesus, remember me in your Kingdom.”

And Jesus looked at him with love and said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”


Thanks to Frederick Buechner, Craig Groschel, and Barbara Brown-Taylor for their contributions to this sermon.

Zōē

Life. We only get one shot at it. At least in this world anyway. It is a tragedy when a person dies too young. It is a bigger tragedy when a person of any age dies who has never lived.

ζωή - zōē – life

The Greek word for life is zōē (pronounced Zo-E). It means a life that is real and genuine. A life that is active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, and one that lasts forever. I’m guessing zōē is something we all thirst for. Like lemonade on a hot and sunny summer day. Zōē isn’t mediocre, it doesn’t wonder what might have been, it has few regrets and less fears, and it relies on God’s unlimited resources.

My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying zōē. –John 10:10

We all face challenges in life. Some of these challenges are like pebbles in our shoes. They are ever-present and can wear us down. Other challenges are like big mountain we must climb. Overcoming great adversity and big challenges means big rewards and great lives. Don't settle for small and mediocre. God created you for something better.

Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. -Joshua 1:9

We miss one-hundred percent of the shots we do not take. Søren Kierkegaard wrote: "To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself." Take a risk today. Take a few of them. If you succeed you will experience joy. If you fail you will gain wisdom. Either of those is a whole lot better than wasting away wondering what might have been. Do you really want to reach the last of your days wondering what might have been?

Christ has truly set us free. -Galatians 5:1

We are in chains as prisoners in a locked cage. The keys are in our hands. Our cage is regret from the past. Our chains are fears for the future. Use the keys. Forgive yourself, have faith in the future, and experience freedom.

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. -Ephesians 3:16

The above words are part of a prayer I pray for Benjamin and David every day. That they will live by God’s unlimited resources and not their limited resources. If you are wondering today if you have the resources to do what you are dreaming about doing, remember Jesus fed thousands with five loaves of bread and two fish. What is impossible today is possible tomorrow. What is impossible by ourselves is possible likely because of God.

The best is yet to come…

Craig

Father Forgive Them - Audio

Listen to this morning's sermon on forgiveness. We are a few weeks behind on the videos and hope to have them posted soon.

Mark 2:1-5

1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

Luke 23:34

Father forgive them – they don’t know what they are doing


Before Christ – You owe me and justice is mine. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. –Matthew 5:38

God forgave me so I’ll forgive you. Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. –Matthew 6:12

Matthew 18

23 Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. 26 But the man fell down before his master and begged him, “Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.” 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

Lesson #1 – The debtor can’t always repay you. (verse 24)
One of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.

Lesson #2 – The offended can always show mercy. (verse 27)
Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

Matthew 18

28 But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. 29 His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. "Be patient with me, and I will pay it," he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. 31 When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, "You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?" 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. 35 That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.


Before forgiveness can be understood and experienced, it is necessary to know what forgiveness is not.

1. Forgiveness is NOT primarily a gift for the offending party

The primary beneficiary for forgiveness is the one who is forgiving. The alternative to unforgiveness is carrying around a bunch of bitterness and brokenness. Forgiveness does not allow the past actions of another party to determine your future. Unforgiveness burdens us with brokenness and pain. Anger makes us smaller while forgiveness forces us to grow beyond what we were. Forgiveness sets the forgiver free and points to a hopeful future. And if the offending party can rest their head on their pillow at night and feel a little less guilty, all the better.

2. Forgiveness is NOT a one-time event

Forgiveness doesn’t happen in a day; forgiveness happens daily. Forgiveness is not a process; forgiveness is a journey. Smells, sounds, and sights can bring back painful memories and the forgiver is often forced to re-forgive.

3. Forgiveness is NOT forgetting

Abuse, betrayal, and hurtful words are not forgotten. Forgetting certain offenses is nearly impossible and sometimes not even desirable. Thomas Szasz writes, "The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget." Remembering can help us learn from the past and can protect us from future hurts. Forgiveness is not allowing the unforgettable past to ruin the present and the future.

4. Forgiveness is NOT an act of weakness

Forgiving is not easy. Forgiveness is tough. Ghandi said, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." Forgiveness is challenging and rewarding.

5. Forgiveness is NOT permission to continue self-destructive behavior

Enabling dysfunction is stupidity, not forgiveness. A profound difference exists between the two. Forgiveness is not continually letting somebody off the hook. Sometimes forgiveness loves so much it has to say no or goodbye.

6. Forgiveness is NOT conditional

Forgiveness doesn’t depend on the other person apologizing or changing. Forgiveness is unconditional grace, not conditional justice. It is given, not earned.

7. Forgiveness is NOT necessarily a fully restored relationship

It takes one person to forgive and two people to reconcile. Sometimes forgiveness leads to reconciliation. Sometimes it doesn’t.

8. Forgiveness is NOT denying a wrong doing

Forgiveness is not a doormat to a house that allows itself to be walked on time and time again without response. That is denial, which is quite different than forgiveness. One is an emotional dysfunction and the other is a grace.

9. Forgiveness is NOT neglecting justice

You can forgive and hold accountable. Sin has consequences. The murderer and the rapist should go to jail. The embezzler should pay back. The gossiper should make amends. The forgiveness of sin doesn’t remove the consequences of sin. It just doesn’t. Only the offending party can do his or her best to make things right. And we all painfully know, sometimes that isn’t enough.

10. Forgiveness is NOT a new-age, self-help idea

Forgiveness is God’s idea. Nobody is better at forgiving than God. Nobody knows the benefits of forgiving more than God. God tells us to forgive because God loves us and wants what is best for us.

What forgiveness is:

1. Possible
2. Grace
3. A good idea

What Forgiveness is Not

1. Forgiveness is NOT primarily a gift for the offending party

The primary beneficiary for forgiveness is the one who is forgiving. The alternative to unforgiveness is carrying around a bunch of bitterness and brokenness. Forgiveness does not allow the past actions of another party to determine your future. Unforgiveness burdens us with brokenness and pain. Anger makes us smaller while forgiveness forces us to grow beyond what we were. Forgiveness sets the forgiver free and points to a hopeful future. And if the offending party can rest their head on their pillow at night and feel a little less guilty, all the better.



2. Forgiveness is NOT a one-time event

Forgiveness doesn’t happen in a day; forgiveness happens daily. Forgiveness is not a process; forgiveness is a journey. Smells, sounds, and sights can bring back painful memories and the forgiver is often forced to re-forgive.

3. Forgiveness is NOT forgetting

Abuse, betrayal, and hurtful words are not forgotten. Forgetting certain offenses is nearly impossible and sometimes not even desirable. Thomas Szasz writes, "The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget." Remembering can help us learn from the past and can protect us from future hurts. Forgiveness is not allowing the unforgettable past to ruin the present and the future.

4. Forgiveness is NOT an act of weakness

Forgiving is not easy. Forgiveness is tough. Ghandi said, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." Forgiveness is challenging and rewarding.

5. Forgiveness is NOT permission to continue self-destructive behavior

Enabling dysfunction is stupidity, not forgiveness. A profound difference exists between the two. Forgiveness is not continually letting somebody off the hook. Sometimes forgiveness loves so much it has to say no or goodbye.

6. Forgiveness is NOT conditional

Forgiveness doesn’t depend on the other person apologizing or changing. Forgiveness is unconditional grace, not conditional justice. It is given, not earned.

7. Forgiveness is NOT necessarily a fully restored relationship

It takes one person to forgive and two people to reconcile. Sometimes forgiveness leads to reconciliation. Sometimes it doesn’t.

8. Forgiveness is NOT denying a wrong doing

Forgiveness is not a doormat to a house that allows itself to be walked on time and time again without response. That is denial, which is quite different than forgiveness. One is an emotional dysfunction and the other is a grace.

9. Forgiveness is NOT neglecting justice

You can forgive and hold accountable. Sin has consequences. The murderer and the rapist should go to jail. The embezzler should pay back. The gossiper should make amends. The forgiveness of sin doesn’t remove the consequences of sin. It just doesn’t. Only the offending party can do his or her best to make things right. And we all painfully know, sometimes that isn’t enough.

10. Forgiveness is NOT a new-age, self-help idea

Forgiveness is God’s idea. Nobody is better at forgiving than God. Nobody knows the benefits of forgiving more than God. God tells us to forgive because God loves us and wants what is best for us.