The Office of the Keys Series

May 11, 2008

Pentecost

1. Getting Your Greens? (Luke 18:9–14)

2. Keys to New Life (John 20:21–23)

3. Jesus’ Strategy for Peacemaking (Matthew 18:15–20)

4. What a Pastor Owes God’s People (Ezekiel 3:16–20, 24–27)

5. What God’s People Owe Their Pastor (Jeremiah 26:20–24)

The Office of the Keys, Part 2

Keys to New Life

John 20:21-23

    Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." [22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld."

        Once I got into a tangle with a bill collector over a

mistake. I didn’t owe the company. But the collector was

an extremely aggressive and unpleasant person. If you’ve ever had to deal with a similar situation, perhaps you’ve wondered, “What kind of a person would want to work for a collection agency?” A good day for them means a

bad day for everyone they contact. Don’t get me

wrong—I understand why this job is necessary and important. But would you want to be a messenger of misery every day?  If you’re a bill collector, no one wants to receive your phone calls.  No one likes to see you on the doorstep.  No one’s happy to receive your letters.  Talk about a tough job.  I mean, what would your spouse say to you every day as you headed out the door for work?  “Be sure to make ’em squirm today, honey.” It’s hard even to imagine spending days like that. 

           Or is it?  All of us at times demand that we be repaid.  Certainly today someone owes you something. An apology?  A second chance?  A fresh start?  An explanation?  A thank you?  Now it certainly isn’t healthy to dwell on this, but I want you mentally to make a list of all the people who owe you something right now. Is your list fairly long?  Perhaps your parents should have been more protective. Your children should have been more appreciative.  Your spouse should have been more sensitive.  Your boss or teacher should have been more supportive. Your preacher should have been more attentive.  You get the point. 

                Even more important than this is how we’re treating those who are in our debt.  I know that what comes naturally is to demand justice, settle the score, bear a grudge, get angry, or play the blame game. But when we choose any of these options, do we feel any better in the long run?  Does it bring any relief?  Are we more at peace?  Do our problems simply melt away?  You and I know better, and so does Jesus.  He knows that hurts often turn into hates that shrivel the soul.  That’s why he gave us the Office of the Keys.  What is this?  Just as a key unlocks a door, Jesus has entrusted to all members of his Christian church, including you and me, the message of his forgiveness.  As we proclaim and apply Jesus’ forgiveness to people who are sorry for their sins and trust in him, the door of heaven is unlocked and swings open for our and their access.  So my goal this morning is that we would more fully appreciate and utilize this tremendous gift that God has given us in the Office of the Keys.  How so?  Well, God Has Forgiven Our Debts, So That We Forgive the Debts of Others.

Since Christians are the most forgiven people in the world, they should be the most forgiving people in the world.  But unfortunately, we know from experience that this doesn’t always happen.  Where two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, there is Christ among them.  But even there you’ll also find some conflict, because none of us is without sin.  It’s like the woman who went to her pastor seeking advice on how to improve her marriage. When the pastor asked what her greatest complaint was, she replied, “Every time we get into a fight, my husband gets historical.”  The pastor replied, “Don’t you mean hysterical?”  “No,” she responded, “I mean historical. Over the years he’s kept a mental record of everything I’ve ever done wrong, and whenever he’s mad, I get a history lesson.”  God’s love never keeps a record of wrongs.  He forgives us.  “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (Ps 103:12–13).

Today people have many different views and opinions about what it means to forgive someone.  As we look at God’s Word, we quickly discover that forgiveness is not a feeling or forgetting or excusing.  First, forgiveness is not a feeling because there are many times the Lord asks us to forgive someone when that’s the last thing we feel like doing.  That’s because forgiveness is a deliberate decision that we make to release someone from a penalty or punishment that they deserve.  It’s intentionally canceling or paying for someone else’s debt.  It’s giving undeserved favor or mercy.  If you want the perfect depiction of forgiveness, look no further than the cross.  There Christ Jesus took on himself the full penalty for our sins and completely paid the debt we owed with his blood, not because we deserved it, but because his love is beyond anything we can imagine.  On the cross he prayed for those who were torturing him to death: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34).

Second, forgiveness is not forgetting.  So often we

hear the phrase “forgive and forget.”  But forgetting is a passive process, where memories fade with the passing of time.  Forgiving is not passive; it’s always an active decision.  From God’s perspective, to say “I forgive you” to someone is the same as making these four promises in response to his love for us:

1. I promise I will not think about this incident.

2. I promise I will not bring this incident up and use it against you.

3. I promise I will not talk to others about this incident.

4. I promise I will not allow this incident to stand between us or hinder our personal relationship.

Forgiveness is also not the same thing as excusing.

Picture in your mind someone coming up to you and

apologizing for hurting you in some way. How do we

respond to sincere confessions like these? We often say

things like this: “That’s okay; don’t worry about it; it

really doesn’t matter; you didn’t mean it; you couldn’t

help it; no problem.” You know as well as I do that sin is

never okay. That’s why excusing it is never as powerful

or effective as forgiving it. Forgiveness says, “We both

know that what you did was wrong and without excuse.

But since God has forgiven me, I forgive you.” When we

honestly and gently deal with one another’s sins in this

way, we feel a sense of peace and freedom that no

amount of excusing could ever provide.

Now perhaps some of you are thinking, “Pastor, if

you had ever experienced the pain, rejection, or abuse

that I’ve had to endure, you wouldn’t talk so easily about

forgiveness.”  To a certain extent you may be right.  It’s

hard to extend forgiveness to someone who has rejected, humiliated, or used you.  It hurts to forgive someone who doesn’t deserve it or hasn’t earned it.  At times we like to see offenders suffer, or at the very least receive a guarantee that they’ll never hurt us again.  Yet when we’re struggling with forgiveness, all we have to do is remember the enormous debt that God has forgiven us. The more we understand and appreciate the wonders of his forgiveness, the more motivated we’ll be to forgive others.

Consider these inspiring words from St. Peter:

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the

pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. . . . If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.  To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (1 Pet 2:19–21)

           Forgiveness is the most costly thing in the world. The price will often include shed tears, a broken heart, or swallowing one’s pride.  But God promises to help us forgive others.  That’s what the words of today’s text from Jn 20:21–23 are about.  Listen again to what Jesus says:  “‘Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’” Jesus spoke these words to his disciples on the same day that he rose from the dead. Without a doubt, Jesus’ resurrection is the greatest, most important event that has ever happened in the history of the world.  It proved that he is God and that his sacrifice on the cross for our sins was fully accepted as sufficient by God the Father. From that moment on Jesus possessed all authority in heaven and on earth. And what did he do with it? He shared it. He breathed on his disciples and empowered them to carry on his ministry of forgiveness.

Things are no different for us.  Just as Jesus breathed

the Holy Spirit on his disciples, he did the same thing at

our Baptism.  The Holy Spirit continues to dwell within

us.  It strengthens and equips us through God’s Word and

the Lord’s Supper and sends us out to share Christ’s

forgiveness and salvation with the world around us.

Whenever we share forgiveness with others, we’re not the source of that power.  It’s the Holy Spirit working through the words of God that we proclaim.

One last thought.  Being reconciled does not mean that the person who offended us must now become our closest friend.  What it means is that our relationship will be at least as good as it was before the offense occurred. Once that happens, it’s hoped an even better relationship may develop by God’s grace.

So there you have it.  Jesus has graciously given the

keys of forgiveness to you.  Experience God’s

blessings as you use this loosing key often.  For when

you forgive the sins of a repentant sinner, the door of heaven will be opened to him. Truly Jesus has given you the keys to a new life.

Sermon Outline

God Has Forgiven Our Debts, So That We Forgive the Debts of Others.

 I. How should we forgive the debts of others?

II. How can we forgive the debts of other?