The Hope of Forgiveness

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>The Hope of Forgiveness</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="21"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id550.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hope for Those Who Hurt"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Hope for the Holidays: "The Hope of Forgiveness," </B><B>Matthew 9:1-13</B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, December 4, 2005</B></div> <bR> <div>      'In the novel, "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., an important book comes to light. It is titled "What Can a Thoughtful Man <I>Hope</I> for Mankind on Earth, Given the Experience of the Past Million Years?" The chief character is anxious to read it. But when he does, he finds that it doesn't take long. The whole book consists of one word: "Nothing."' (Bible.org, "Hope").</div> <div>      Pastor James DeLoach said, "I am not a connoisseur of great art, but from time to time a painting or picture will really speak a clear, strong message to me. Some time ago I saw a picture of an old burned-out mountain shack. All that remained was the chimney...the charred debris of what had been that family's sole possession. In front of this destroyed home stood an old grandfather-looking man dressed only in his underclothes with a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls. It was evident that the child was crying. Beneath the picture were the words which the artist felt the old man was speaking to the boy. They were simple words, yet they presented a profound theology and philosophy of life. Those words were, 'Hush child, God ain't dead!'</div> <div>      Pastor James continued, "That vivid picture of that burned-out mountain shack, that old man, the weeping child, and those words 'God ain't dead' keep returning to my mind. Instead of it being a reminder of the despair of life, it has come to be a reminder of hope! I need reminders that there is hope in this world. In the midst of all of life's troubles and failures, I need mental pictures to remind me that all is not lost as long as God is alive and in control of His world." (James DeLoach, associate pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Houston, quoted in <I>When God Was Taken Captive</I>, W. Aldrich, Multnomah, 1989, p. 24., Bible.org, "Hope.")</div> <div>      As we look at the world and at our lives, we may see many reasons for hopelessness. We see pain and sickness and suffering and death, war and conflict, loneliness, challenges in relationships, financial hardship, and that sense of guilt for things we have done wrong. But Christmas is a time to talk about hope, about faith, about the intervention of God into the world and into our lives. When Jesus came to earth, he brought with him the hope of forgiveness for sinful people like each of us. Please turn to <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Matt+9:1-13" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Matthew 9:1-13</U></A>.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. Jesus showed he was able to forgive by healing the paralyzed man (vss. 1-8).</B></div> <div>      This paralyzed man had one hope, the hope of getting to Jesus to be healed. Jesus first declared his sins to be forgiven, based on his faith (vs. 2). This led to a bit of controversy - the Pharisees correctly judged that only God can forgive sins, so Jesus must be making himself equal with God (vs. 3). If this was not true, it was indeed blasphemy. How <I>would</I> one know that this Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary and Joseph, was anything more than a human being, that he was in fact <I>God</I> in a human body? The Pharisees hadn't yet figured this out.</div> <div>      Jesus, secure in who he was, took this opportunity to reveal who he was (vss. 4-7). In fact, he regarded it as "evil" to deny that he was God. By healing the man, he demonstrated he was God and had the authority to forgive sins. The crowds were fearful, but still did  not recognize the <I>uniqueness</I> of Jesus as God (vs. 8).</div> <div>      Sickness and paralysis are serious problems, but Jesus teaches that the greater, more basic problem is sin, rebellion, and separation from God (Carson, <I>Matthew</I>, 222). These have given way to sickness and disease and death in the world. Dealing with the issue of sin and forgiveness is Jesus' first priority. Then he will eventually deal with the problems of sickness, injustice, hunger, and death. (As we help people in these areas, as we should, we must remember, the priority is people's relationship with God though Jesus.)</div> <div>      Consider - what sins have you committed in your lifetime? Have you lied? Have you taken something that does not belong to you? Have you said or done something unkind, perhaps hurtful, to another human being? Then you are in need of forgiveness. In fact, what is the <I>worst</I> thing you have done? God can and will forgiven that as well.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. Jesus came to save sinners like us (vss. 9-13).</B></div> <div>      Jesus was willing to eat with sinners and others of society's outcasts, like tax collectors, not because he condoned their sinful lifestyles, but because he knew they needed forgiveness. A sick person needs a doctor, and sinners need a Savior (vs. 12). Jesus would eventually die on a Roman cross, as a substitute, to pay the penalty for their sins and ours.</div> <div>      The problem here with the Pharisees was that they did not realize they too were sinners and in need of a Savior.  They would be offended if anyone said they were sinners in need of forgiveness. The "sinners" and tax collectors <I>knew</I> they were sinners. If you want to receive this hope of forgiveness, you must humbly recognize and admit that you are sinner in need of it. Jesus offers full and free forgiveness to you today.</div> <bR> <div>      'The school system in a large city had a program to help children keep up with their school work during stays in the city's hospitals. One day a teacher who was assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child. She took the child's name and room number and talked briefly with the child's regular class teacher. "We're studying nouns and adverbs in his class now," the regular teacher said, "and I'd be grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn't fall too far behind."</div> <div>      'The hospital program teacher went to see the boy that afternoon. No one had mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she told him, "I've been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs." When she left she felt she hadn't accomplished much. But the next day, a nurse asked her, "What did you do to that boy?" The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize. "No, no," said the nurse. "You don't know what I mean. We've been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He's fighting back, responding to treatment. It's as though he's decided to live."</div> <div>      'Two weeks later the boy explained that he had completely given up hope until the teacher arrived. Everything changed when he came to a simple realization. He expressed it this way: "They wouldn't send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?" (Bits and Pieces, July, 1991, Bible.org, "Hope"). </div> <div>      Likewise, God wouldn't have sent a Savior if he thought we and the world were beyond hope and beyond help because of our sin and rebellion. Jesus' presence in the world brings hope to ruined lives. He came to bring the hope of forgiveness, the hope of deliverance from sin, and the hope of relationship with the eternal God though what Jesus did on the cross for sinners like us.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2005, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>